Oxford Archaeology Oxford Archaeology is the largest archaeological practice in Britain, with bases in Oxford (formerly Oxford Archaeological Unit) and Lancaster (Oxford Archaeology North). Formed in 1973 from an amalgamation of local archaeological committees, the Oxford Archaeological Unit was a pioneer in contracting archaeology throughout England, and has recently undertaken major field projects in France and Turkey, and consultancy work in a number of countries, including Ireland. The work of Oxford Archaeology comprises the full range of field survey, prospection, and excavation, heritage management, buildings and industrial archaeology.

Oxford Archaeology t: (44) 1865 263800 Janus House, f: (44) 1865 793496 Osney Mead, e: [email protected] OXFORD OX2 0ES w: www.oxfordarch.co.uk

Oxford Archaeology North t: (44) 01524 541000 Mill3, Moor Lane Mills, f: (44) 01524 848606 Moor Lane, LANCASTER LA1 1GF e:[email protected] w: www.oxfordarch.co.uk CONTENTS Gazetteer Contents Context and setting 28 1. Introduction 4 1.01 Overall Setting and Visual Context 29 1.1 Background and Purpose 4-5 1.02 Boundaries and Designations 30 1.2 Basis and Structure 5 1.03 Carlingford Castle 31-32 1.04 Taaffe’s Castle 33-35 PART I: SIGNIFICANCE 6 1.05 The Mint 36-37 2. Understanding the Monument 6 1.06 Historic houses 38 2.1 Introduction and Scope 6 1.07 Holy Trinity Church 39-40 2.2 Sources and Previous Research 6 1.08 Dominican Friary 41-42 1.09 The Water Mill 43 3. Historical Overview 7 3.1 Setting and Context 7 Town Walls 3.2 Historical Development 8 2.01 Site of North Gate (Newry Street) 44 3.3 Key Development Phases 9-12 2.02 Line of North Wall 45 2.03 Western Wall: North End 46-47 4. Site Description 13 2.04 Western Wall: North of Spout Gate 48-49 4.1 Setting and Context 13 2.05 Site of Spout Gate (River Lane) B37 50 4.2 The Medieval Town: 2.06 Western Wall: South of Spout Gate 51 Topography and Buildings 13-14 2.07 Possible line (Northern) of South Wall 52 4.3 The Medieval Town: 2.08 South-West Wall 53-54 Archaeological Overview 15-17 2.09 Line of Friary Walls 55 2.10 Churchyard Wall 56-57 5. Assessment of Significance 18 2.11 The Tholsel 58-59 5.1 Levels of Significance 18 2.12 Line of South-East Wall 60 5.2 Statement of Overall Significance 18-19 2.13 Sea-Shore Defences 61-62 5.3 Key Periods of Significance 19 5.4 Key Elements of Significance 19 APPENDICES Appendix A Bibliography and sources 63-65 PART II: ISSUES AND POLICIES 20 Appendix B Archaeological Work/Events 66-75 6. Conservation Policy Aims 20 7. Issues, Opportunities, and Policies 21 7.1 Aims and Approaches 21 7.2 Understanding 21 7.3 Protection 21-22 7.4 Conservation 23 7.5 Enhancement Opportunities 24 7.6 Visitor Issues 25

Part III: Future Management 26 8. Management Plan 26 8.1 Introduction 26 8.2 Responsibility for the Site 26 8.3 Aims and Objectives 26 8.4 Works Programme 27 8.5 Research Agenda 27 8.6 Review 27

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1.0 Introduction 1.1 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Louth County Council, in partnership with the Heritage portance, remains of the defences are a less obvious Council through the Irish Walled Towns Network (IWTN) aspect of the town. The re-assessment of walled towns , has commissioned a Conservation and Management is an important part of their historical understanding Plan for the monument and site of Carlingford Historic and interpretation, and must play an important part in Town Walls. This monument includes the walls and all economic development, tourism and local educational other defences surviving above and below the ground projects. A plan for the historic defences of Carling- surface, including other adjacent medieval structures ford represents an interesting opportunity to address in and around the town walls. Consideration is given a number of issues in relation to the understanding, to the town as a whole, and both its landscape and conservation and presentation of a key aspect of the regional setting. medieval town.

Louth County Council and the Heritage Council (admin- Designations istrator of the Irish Walled Towns Network) are currently The town of Carlingford is on the Record of Monuments and in a position to co-ordinate the planning for the future Places, and is protected under the National Monuments conservation and management of Carlingford Town Walls. Act (1930-2004). Individual buildings are protected as This is to be undertaken in a planned and systematic way National Monuments and/or Protected Structures (under and in accordance with recognised international best the Planning and Development Act, 2000). Carlingford practice, hence the necessity for the overall framework Castle is a National Monument in State care. of a Conservation and Management Plan. Louth County Council’s County Development Plan The conservation and management project is being 2003-9 (as emended July 2006) includes policies on undertaken in close collaboration between Louth the Built Environment [§2.5], with designated areas of County Council and the Heritage Council, with Oxford Special Archaeological Interest that include Carlingford Archaeology (OA) developing the plan to the require- [AR3]. Protected Structures are noted in Appendix ments of the two councils. 3, and include the major monuments in Carlingford, . while it is noted that the full county inventory has not The primary objectives of the Conservation and Manage- yet been completed. Architectural Conservation Areas ment Plan, as specified in the brief, are to significantly nominated in the plan include Carlingford (maps in improve the local understanding and awareness of the Appendix 2). Policies for protection of archaeology monument and its significance, promote the recogni- and built heritage are given at P2.9, and Development tion and protection of the monument (at both a local Guidelines for Carlingford are given in Appendix 2.5. and international level), put in place an effective con- servation and management scheme for the monument, The Development Plan also gives extensive care to the give guidance and prioritisation for repairs/works and natural environment [§2.4]. Natural Heritage Areas noted conservation of the monument, inform any planning re- for designation by the National Parks and Wildlife Service quirements and put forward any relevant recommenda- include Carlingford Lough [NH452] and Carlingford tions in relation to an improvement in the presentation Mountains [NH453]. Special Areas of Conservation of the monument in the short, medium and long term. (SACs) have been established under the EC Habitats Directive (1992) to conserve habitats and species of Eu- Carlingford ropean significance, and these include Carlingford Lough Carlingford, as a port town in Uriel (Louth) is of inter- and Carlingford Mountain. Special Protection Areas est for its earlier medieval prominence as part of the (SPAs) under the EC Birds Directive (1979) have been de Lacy inheritance, and its re-establishment in the nominated, including Carlingford Lough (452). Important 16th century as a parliamentary corporation. While it sites of geological interest nominated for designation as has several medieval monuments of interest and im- Natural Heritage Areas include Carlingford [G9].

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The Carlingford Local Area Plan (September 2002) also historical mapping and national documents. The data can includes important assessments, policies and development then be disseminated in a manageable form. guidelines, and shows the extent of the central Conserva- tion Area and surrounding Green Belt. 1.2 BASIS AND STRUCTURE of this plan Background to Conservation Plans Issues and Threats The underlying principles of the plan are derived from The The history, development and archaeological potential of Conservation Plan (James Semple Kerr, 1996). It also Carlingford are not fully understood at present. The surviv- takes into account the series of international charters sum- ing elements are fragile, and subject to diminution from marised in the Guide to International Conservation Charters continuing development near to the line of the Walls. A (Historic Scotland, 1997), the principal ones being: site of this nature naturally raises questions of public ac- • International Charter for the Conservation and Restora- cess and presentation, and the impact of increased visitor tion of Monuments and Sites (The Venice Charter 1964) access. • UNESCO Recommendations, (1976) • Congress on European Architectural Heritage (Council The Conservation Plan of Europe, 1975) This Conservation Plan has been written in order to: • Valetta Convention on the Protection of the Archaeologi- • Describe the site and explain its setting, its current cal Heritage January 1992 (European Treaty Series 143) protected status and its historical context, with a Gazetteer • Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Signifi- of the elements that make up the site; cance (referred to as the Burra Charter November 1999). • Assess the significance of the remains, their landscape Guidance has also been sought from sources such as and ecological context; Commissioning a Conservation Plan (English Heritage, • Assess the vulnerability of the site; and 1998) and in Conservation Plans for Historic Places • Provide policies and actions to protect that significance. (Heritage Lottery Fund, 1998), Conservation Management Plans (HLF 2005) and Informed Conservation (Kate Clark, Policies for the site will aid the following: English Heritage, 2001), as well as through other Conser- • The protection and conservation of the standing remains vation Plans produced by the Heritage Council of Ireland. and buried features and views within and without; • The conservation of the entire site and its wider land- Structure of the Conservation & Management plan scape, through sympathetic management of land usage This Conservation Plan follows a four-part structure: and visitor access; Part I — Significance [Sections 2 - 5] summarises the • The archaeological and research potential of the site; evidence for the monument and its historical development. • Improved access and understanding. It identifies key phases of development/evolution and sets out the elements of significance for each of these and for Objectives the monument’s overall significance. It is anticipated that the Conservation Plan will be of use for: Part II — Issues and Policies [Sections 6 - 8] develops • Developing a wider local, regional, and national under- principles for protecting and enhancing the elements of standing of the site and its significance; significance and making it accessible to public under- • Promoting the recognition and protection of the site; standing and enjoyment, and sets out the policies. • Encouraging management schemes for effective Part III — Implementation [Section 9] sets out a pos- maintenance; sible means of implementation of the Conservation & • Informing conservation repairs/works, and enhancement; Management Plan. • Protecting the setting through effective land management; Part IV — Gazetteer [Appendix B] is a descriptive • Improving access and facilitating improved visitor man- schedule of individual elements of the site agement to the site. The Appendices provide: (A) Bibliography and list of In addition, the Conservation Plan brings together the sources; (B) Gazetteer; and (C) Table of Archaeological documentation relating to the site found in local records, Events.

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2.1 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE The primary object is the town walls of Carlingford, in- cluding the remains of the walls and all other defences surviving above and below the ground surface. This includes the standing lengths of wall on the west side of Carlingford, the ‘Tholsel’ gate, the Castle, and the remains of two other town ‘castles’, the Mint and Taaffe’s Cas- tle. The topography and fabric of the town is indivisible from the defences, and there are a number of historic buildings within the town, of medieval or post-medieval date, including the town’s parish church, and the remains of the medieval Dominican friary. The town has to be considered in its landscape and regional setting, which are both striking and historically significant, in addition to being an important aspect of their interest to visitors and tourists.

2.2 SOURCES AND PREVIOUS RESEARCH Given its history in a relatively marginal position, and its demotion from corporate status in the 19th century, detailed study of the medieval town was Bradley’s contri- Carlingford is not so well provided with primary sources bution to the urban survey of Louth, which contributed to for its history, and relies more on chance references and the County Louth Survey and Gazetteer published more documentary survivals. These have yet to be brought recently. A popular account of more than usual value together in a single detailed study. National records is Gosling’s Antiquarian Guide, while aspects of recent in London and Dublin were consulted, together with a research have found their way into the displays of the wide range of bibliographical material. Information on the Carlingford Heritage Centre. excavations in Carlingford has been garnered from the National Monuments Service of the DEHLG in Dublin Although there is not yet a Louth volume in the County and numerous individual contractors. ‘History and Society’ series, there is one for County Down (Proudfoot 1997). The recently published Historic Towns Carlingford receives mention in Thomas Wright’s pioneer- Atlas for Dundalk is also important for understanding the ing work Louthiana (1748), a remarkable antiquarian regional character. study that provided plans of stone and earthwork castles in Louth, and has a plan and view of ‘The King’s Castle’. The archaeology of Louth has also been well handled: Daniel Grose’ Antiquities of Ireland (1797) published a ‘Louth was chosen as the first region to be studied when rather more competent view of the castle and friary, with the Office of Public Works established the ‘Archaeologi- some interesting historical notes. Carlingford, and more cal Survey of Ireland’ in 1963. As a result, it was been the generally County Louth, has been fortunate in its histo- first county in the Republic of Ireland to have a Sites & rians. The County Louth Archaeological and Historical Monuments Record, an Archaeological Inventory and a Journal, first issued in 1904, has established itself as one detailed Archaeological Survey published, in 1984, 1986 of the most learned and informative of Ireland’s county and 1991, respectively.’ The archaeological survey con- journals. Early 20th-century guides to Louth by Tempest tains detailed measured surveys of the major monuments are important for recording local knowledge. The first in Carlingford.

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3.1 SETTING AND CONTEXT Geographical location Carlingford has more than once found itself as a frontier Norman colonists and their descendants. Whereas the town, both as being on the edge of the late medieval traditional Irish economy does not appear to have always Pale, and most recently with the Northern Ireland bound- required towns as market centres there were vibrant ary dividing Carlingford Lough. Geographically it sits in ‘central places’ at monasteries and cathedrals before the the boundary zone between the Louth plains and the Norman invasion (Butlin 1977). The main originator of mountains, isolated from the rest of Louth by its own urban growth was rather the Viking coastal settlement mountains, and perched on a tight spot between mountain on rivers with adequate seaports, which established the and water. Carlingford could be said to be protecting the main trading towns that were to continue into later times northern approach to the Cooley peninsula, a miniature as the backbone of the urban network. representative of the rich coastal plains of Louth, as may be reflected by its figuring in the famous epic poem An Anglo-Norman rule was established with the construc- Táin Bó Cuailagne ‘Cattle Raid of Cooley’. tion of castles, around which the major towns (such as Dundalk and Drogheda) grew, and a network of smaller The first key to Carlingford’s existence is the lough, always towns established by the new landowners. It is important important as a safe haven and centre for fishing fleets. to remember that in Ireland, as elsewhere throughout Second was its location on the coastal route to Ulster these islands, there was always a hierarchy of urban set- – either on the coast road to Newry or by ferry across tlements. At the top was a network of prominent walled Carlingford Lough to Greencastle and so by coast to and chartered cities and boroughs, provincial or county Dundrum. The castle and town controlled the coast road centres with recognisable urban characteristics in their (by blocking it at the narrowest point) and provided the size and topography. A neat measure of the successful ferry. Carlingford Lough was often seen as the traditional towns of the early 13th century (throughout Europe) is boundary of Ulster, though Carlingford was sometimes the extent of the mission of the mendicant friars. Bradley treated as being part of that Earldom, and its port (along (1985) has suggested a list of some 56 Irish towns in the with Dundalk) grouped with Ulster ports under Carrickfer- major category, of which Carlingford, Dundalk, Ardee and gus. With the bypassing of the town by a newly-opened Drogheda (Uriel), are the examples from County Louth road from Dundalk to Newry in c.1600 the town was set (and all except Carlingford had early friaries). on a course of gradual decline that finally led to the aboli- tion of the Corporation in 1840. The subsequent coming of the railway and establishment of a port at Greenore could not fully relieve the loss of the herring fishery.

The urban context Carlingford lies on the very edge of what may be termed the eastern urban province of medieval Ireland, the com- bined area of the watershed of the rivers between the Liffey, Boyne and Castletown in counties Dublin, Meath and Louth. This was a low-lying area of great arable wealth, being suitable for wheat production, and com- prised the heartland of the Norman settlement that later came to constitute the Pale. It is next to and faces the North-East province centred on Lough Neagh, the barley and oat lands of the earldom of Ulster. The majority of medieval towns in these areas were founded by the

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3.2 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Medieval History, 12th – 14th centuries As is often the case with Norman foundations, the early The Castle was repaired in 1260/61 Pipe Roll (?then history of Carlingford is somewhat obscure, and it is not under the crown); In c.1280 she gave to her daughter always clear whether the town and castle were always a Matilda, wife of John le Botiler, ‘the castle of Carlingford single entity. As Bradley has shown, Carlingford Lough and all the land I had in free marriage in Cooley and Uriel’. is mentioned first, as the site of a naval encounter with Matilda Botiler’s granted the castle and town of Carling- the Viking fleet in 852, and then the ‘ferry of Carlingford’ ford to her grandson William de London in 1304, and a occurs in a grant of 1185 by John de Courcy to Down- year later his son William sold the manor of Carlingford patrick Priory. Grants of land within the Irish kingdom and all lands in Cooley and Omeath to Richard de Burgo, of Airghialla (Uriel) were made by Prince John (as Lord Earl of Ulster. of Ireland) on his visit in 1185, who seems on this occa- sion to have divided the land between Gilbert Pipard and Richard, the ‘Red Earl’ is reputed to have founded the Bertram de Verdon. However, it was only on the death Dominican priory in Carlingford in 1305, though this was of King Murchadh O Cearbhaill in 1189 that John issued perhaps effected by the Dominican Bishops of Armagh charters of confirmation. The town was already in exist- (1307-22), Walter and Roland Joyce. The parish church ence in 1189/92 when Peter Pipard (the lord of Ardee) was appropriated to the Hospitallers in Dublin in 1327. was granted ‘four burgages in Carlingford’ with a fishery The castle was still reckoned as being of the earldom of by Prince John. The grant of 1189/91 to Bertram de Ulster on the death of Richard de Burgh in 1326. In 1326 Verdon (John’s seneschal, and the founder of Dundalk) is Carlingford was granted the right to levy a murage tax for not detailed, but apparently included the baronies of Up- six years to repair walls, though it is very unlikely that this per and Lower Dundalk – the latter including the Cooley was the first occasion that the town was defended. Peninsula and Carlingford. His son Thomas de Verdon granted half his land in c.1195 to his sister Lescelina de Port/trade Verdun, who married Hugh de Lacy (from 1205 earl of The function of Carlingford as a market town for the im- Ulster) and this comprised much of the Cooley peninsula, mediate locality will have been one of its main supports. including Carlingford. It is most likely de Lacy who built The grant of a fair in 1227 implies an existing market, and the castle, for there was a well-recorded visit of King John the grant to Lionel Earl of Ulster in 1358 of a Tuesday to Carlingford on his energetic trip to Ireland in July 1210, market and a fair must be a change of day, etc. As a when he seized Hugh de Lacy’s castle (which remained port Carlingford was paying a modest amount of customs in royal hands until 1226) and carried out repairs; he ap- in late 13th century, but was also flourishing as a local parently granted the barony of lower Dundalk to Nicholas fishing port, and was listed in 1282 with Carrickfergus de Verdun; again, on return from John’s trip to Ulster he and Coleraine as one of the ports of Ulster, though an in- stopped again at Carlingford in August. quiry of 1374 into the Butler (Ormond) prise of wine was directed to the Drogheda, Dundalk and Carlingford. An In 1217 William de Lacy was told to surrender Carling- extraordinary record of a 1334 cargo of plate, tapestries, ford castle to the Justiciar; on the dismissal of Geoffrey cloth, books, armour and spices may be household goods Marsh [de Marisco] in 1221 the castle was surrendered of Elizabeth Countess of Ulster. The importance of Car- to Henry III, and in 1227 Hugh de Lacy’s [Earl of Ulster] lingford Lough for fishermen from elsewhere is shown lands were restored to him by Henry III, including Carling- by a letter of King Henry IV of England to James King of ford. The town must have been well established with Scotland about some fishermen from Somerset who were streets, harbour and market place. A fair at Carlingford attacked by a Spanish ship while fishing at Carlingford was granted in 1227 to Hugh de Lacy, in August for 13 and taken to Scotland where they were imprisoned. days after the feast of the Assumption. Hugh granted Carlingford Castle (and no doubt the borough with it) to his daughter Matilda on her marriage to David Baron of Naas 1229, and she held it on the Earl’s death in 1242.

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Late medieval 14th – 16th centuries to the Dominican Church after damage by enemies The intermittent violence of life on the frontier in County and robbers. The parish church is often referred to in Louth has been well described by Brendan Smith, and Bishops’ registers, for example the induction of Thomas especially the complex and shifting patterns of alliance Waleys (Walsshe) as priest in 1361, and the order to the and violence between the national or local authorities, the town bailiffs to arrest a heretic in 1369 until it could be English or Anglo-Irish settlers and the Gaelic Irish. The decided whether ‘he should walk in light or shadows’, and ecclesiastical position was especially interesting, with the a grant of tithes to the same vicar in 1375. In 1411 the diocese of Armagh comprising large Irish and English Archbishop withheld part of the rectorial income of the areas within its boundaries, and on occasions it would church from the Kilmainham Hospitallers in Dublin who seem from entries in Bishop’s registers that Carlingford had failed to repair the chancel; his own income included served as neutral territory. Carlingford seems to have the tithe of fish in Carlingford. There is a reflection of the been rather marginal to the life of the county, but features activities of church courts in notes of cases on perjury as a place of entry, or passage, being accessible by sea and unpaid debts, while John White a townsman was and on the coast road towards Ulster. Thus Carlingford admonished for having imprisoned the wife of one of the was plundered and burnt by the Lord Nithsdale with 500 Bishop’s servants for debt. The vicar in 1471 left to Scots in 1388, against whom the service of Carlingford become a friar and caused a vacancy. Christopher Dow- was raised, and in 1392 O’Neill led an army against dall’s will of 1485 included bequests to ‘the church of the Dundalk and the whole Cooley peninsula was wasted and Holy Trinity in Carlingford, the parish church of St Mary destroyed. The new Lieutenant, the Duke of Lancaster, of Carlingford, and the chapel of St Michael there’. An landed at Carlingford in August 1408 and proceeded to examination of the validity of a marriage in 1494 turned Dublin. An arrangement made later that year by John on whether witnesses could recall the couple marrying in Dartas, the King’s Constable of Carlingford and Green front of the church or not. On at least two occasions it Castle with John Dowdall to lease the castles shows that was the Dominican Priory and not the parish church that the two castles were still linked by a ferry, garrisoned, and was the chosen location for the church’s dealings with kept in repair, while the expected profits from warfare and the Gaelic Irish: the examination of Hugh MacGuiness in prisoners were to be shared. 1496 and the absolution granted to Patrick O’Hanlon by the Archbishop in 1494. For all its tendency towards Ulster, Carlingford was seen as being at the northern extremity of the Pale, as shown Records like these, and the evidence of a continuing by a complaint of the inhabitants of Carlingford and land-market in the Dowdall Deeds, show that the town Cooley in March 1410: was surviving at a time when others were disappearing, and was even flourishing. Another market was granted in The town and lordship are situated on the frontier of the 1450, and in 1467 the rights of mintage were extended marches of County Louth in a valley between the sea to Drogheda and Carlingford, ‘though coins of the latter and the mountains… and are cut off from the rest of the mint have still to be found’. The continued maintenance county by high mountains and wooded passes as well as of the castle would have been a factor in supporting ur- by the arm of the sea flowing backwards and forwards, ban life and, along with Poyning’s Law, the parliament of so they are not able to be helped against the Irish and 1494/5 made provision for the constables of the King’s Scots and on account of that they are often burned and castles in Ireland (including Carlingford) to be English- devastated. men born in England. Along with the castle the walls were being maintained, and in 1501 a further murage Perhaps as a result of this the town was granted, in was granted for 24 years for fortifying the town with a 1410, a quittance of subsidies, tallages etc until the stone wall. The loss of the original murage charters coming of age of the Lord of the Town. In 1415 the new leaves us without the details of the tolls from which it was Lieutenant, Sir John Talbot, proclaimed the royal service collected, but the chance survival of a notice from c.1800 at Carlingford in commencing his campaign against the of the ‘Toll or Custom’ paid ‘according to charter for time Irish, and in 1423 an indulgence was granted for repairs immemorial to the Sovereign of the town’ gives a list of

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 9 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council tolls on grain, meat, fish and drink that may reflect the terms of the murage, being similar to other such lists (if not just ordinary market tolls). The customs of the ports from Carlingford to Carrickfer- gus were let in 1505 by the Deputy Lieutenant, and must have still been worth collecting.

A survey of crown lands in 1540 described the ‘manor of Carlingford’ as ‘ancient demesne of the king’; the ‘capital messuage’ of the manor was ‘a certain old castle situate on a branch of the sea’ which was by a port resorted to by fishermen for herrings in September and October, who paid customs of a ‘castle mease’ of herrings when the catch was abundant, and other port dues. The castle was (as always in these surveys) utterly ruined and needing repair, but very necessary for protection from ‘Hanlans, Magynness, Adneles and other fierce Irishmen’ threaten- ing the area. There was a small park of one acre near the castle, the ‘Porter’s Park’, and the Constable of the castle 16th – 17th Centuries had 50 acres of arable called Mollaghtye. The bailiffs, The royal manor of Carlingford was granted to Sir Nicho- burgesses and community of Carlingford paid the Con- las Bagenal in April 1552 as part of a large and growing stable £4 a year for the ‘fee-farm’ of the town. This was estate in Louth and Down. A surviving rental of 1575 a fixed sum paid to the crown in return for the borough’s includes the castle and friary, but few other properties financial independence; its appearance at Carlingford, apart from manorial interests of uncertain value, and and the claim of ‘ancient demesne’ status almost suggest the town’s £4 fee farm. As would be expected of any that the town was a royal foundation. medieval borough that had survived into the Elizabethan period, Carlingford was granted a charter of incorporation The dissolution of the monasteries in 1540 saw the sei- in 1571 as two bailiffs, burgesses and community, with zure of monastic land, while the institutions themselves customs similar to those of Drogheda. It may be that often carried on regardless. The surveys of confiscated the absence of a mayor was related to the relationship of lands show that the Hospitallers of Kilmainham owned the town to Bagenal as lord of the manor. Under James two thirds of the rectorial tithes in the parish church, and I there was a further grant of a slightly more elevated of the fish ‘caught on the river of Carlingford’; the other status as Sovereign, burgesses and community, with a third belonged to the Archbishop of Armagh. The roof coroner and two MPs. According to Camden, Carlingford of the Franciscan church in Drogheda was carried off to was ‘a port also of good request and resort’. Dundalk repair Carlingford Castle and others, but the Carlingford remained an active port as Carlingford declined, both to Dominican house was described as being a ‘strong man- be overshadowed by Drogheda and Belfast. sion’ in good repair, ‘on every side strongly fortified, and will be a very sure defence for the town in case of rebel- Carlingford played a minor role in the 17th-century wars, lions’, while the church was stated to be ‘reserved for the but a role that demonstrated the continuing importance of accommodation of those who resort to the place in large the town, especially for import and storage of government numbers with the fleet of ships every year to catch her- supplies. The arrival of Lord Mountjoy as Deputy in 1600 rings and other fish.’ The precinct contained a church, led to his military campaign in Ulster. He passed through belfry, chapter house, dormitory, hall, kitchen, and other Carlingford in October 1600, but only because the Moyry buildings, and was leased in July 1541 to Martin Scryne pass was strongly defended, and according to Moryson of Carlingford for £5, but was then granted in 1552 to Sir he placed a large garrison at Carlingford; it was the death Nicholas Bagenal. of Cranmer, Mountjoy’s secretary, at Carlingford that led

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 10 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council to Moryson’s promotion to that post. Of greater moment was his opening of the Moyry pass in 1601, created by cutting down trees, building causeways and defended by a small artillery keep at Moyry. The manuscript map of the pass by Richard Bartlett 1602/3 shows Carlingford as a walled town, as does Norden’s map of c.1610.

In the Confederacy period Carlingford was seized with Dundalk and Drogheda by the Ulster insurgents, but was retaken by a stratagem. According to a contemporary newsletter, with the approach of Lord Conway and the Scots commander General Munro: the Towne and Castle of Carlingford was taken by a Ship that came from Knockfergus, their policy was to put up Spanish colours, which the rebels discerning, sent a fisher-boate with ten or twelve of their Commanders to goe aboard the Ship, supposing that some Ammunition was come unto them; but the Captaine of the Ship instead of showing them any such Commodities, clapt them up under the decks, and so landing his Musketiers, they took the Towne, which they of the Castle soone perceiving, A Corporation in Decline fled away, and left them both unto our forces.’ 18th – 19th centuries Carlingford was in decline in the eighteenth century, After Cromwell took Drogheda in September 1649 a marked as early as 1726 when the Custom House was force under Col. Venables was sent to take Dundalk and transferred from Carlingford to Newry, while Newry was also Carlingford, which surrendered under articles allowing to be linked with a new canal to Lough Neagh opened in the garrison to withdraw to Newry. The ‘Down Survey’ 1743. The Bagenal estates in Cooley passed to the Earls of 1657 is not very informative for Carlingford, and shows of Anglesey after 1715, who owned much land around the boundaries similar to those appearing on the earliest OS town, but little inside it, and may have derived little profit maps. After the Restoration of King Charles in 1660, from it; an early 19th-century estate survey referred to the the Bagenal lands were returned to them, and Viscount manorial rights in Carlingford ‘so far as the same are exist- Dungannon was granted a patent for the remaining lands ing or exercisable’. The parliamentary interest was in the in the town (and its commons). hands of Blayney Townley Balfour in the mid 18th century, and in cultivating the votes he spent the modest sum of 2s During the Williamite wars Carlingford was reputedly 6d a head in entertaining 93 electors (plus a further outlay burned by the Duke of Berwick on the retreat of King to defray the cost of purloined tableware). So perhaps James, and was then used as a maritime base for the is it is not so curious that while the corporation gradually Duke of Schomberg’s Army encamped near Dundalk (with withered away, the parliamentary seats retained their value; hospital ships moored in the Lough for his wounded). The when they were abolished at the Union in 1800 no less 1696 edition of Camden’s Britannia was able to describe than £15,000 was paid in compensation to the Marquess Carlingford as a ‘pretty famous harbour’. The church was of Downshire and Mr Ross Balfour Moore for their loss apparently rebuilt in around 1700, judging from a belated of interest. The Moore family nonetheless maintained a reward given to its builder. close hold on the corporation in its declining years, provid- ing chief office-holders (the Sovereign) almost without interruption for over a century, a record probably without parallel in these islands:

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Chris Moore, Sovereign intermittently (1724-1742) 19th and 20th centuries Ross Moore, Sovereign intermittently (1731-1788) Continuing decline in the 19th century (the population William Moore, Sovereign (1790-1802; 1805-1814) scarcely rose above 1,000) was partially alleviated by Ross Balfour Moore, Sovereign (1802-1804) quarrying and export of fine building limestone and the Edward Frances Moore, Sovereign (1815-1833). coming of the railway in 1876 (following an Act of 1863), harbour improvements at Carlingford in 1887, and the By the time that the parliamentary commission on munici- construction of a deep-water port at Greenore in 1863- pal corporations held its inquiry at Carlingford in October 7. The port of Carlingford participated in the 19th-centry 1833 the borough had all but ceased to operate, and was herring fishery in Ulster waters, which flourished until found to be in ‘irrevocable decay’. In the 1831 census the First World War, and Carlingford was in its own right there had been a total population of 1319 (614 male, renowned for its oysters in the 19th century, exported to 705 female), making 280 families (34 in agriculture and Liverpool and Dublin. Greenore port, first contemplated in 84 in trade) occupying 254 houses (plus 31 uninhabited). 1846 as an admiralty dock, was completed in 1867 at a There were only five burgesses at the last election in 1828, cost of £120,000, and continues today in active use. The of whom only one was resident, and there were no living railway was opened from Dundalk to Greenore in 1873, Freemen, the last having been admitted in 1754. The only and extended to Newry through Carlingford in 1876. borough record was a volume of ‘Acts of Assembly’ dating There was a ferry to Greencastle in the 19th century, and from 1698. There was no corporate property beyond the to Holyhead from 1873 until 1951. The railway closed in commons, but the ‘greater part’ of the property had been January 1952 and was officially abandoned in December ‘lost by usurpation and through neglect of the corpora- 1953. tion’ [740]. The inhabitants reported that there were two commons, north and south. The south common, c.200 3.3 KEY DEVELOPMENT PHASES acres of rock and scanty pasture that was still made use Phase I Prehistoric- Early Medieval Carlingford of had been mostly encroached on for more than twenty Phase II The Medieval Town years. No part of the north common had been used for Phase III Early Modern many years, having been leased to Mr Stannus (prior to Phase IV 19th-century Carlingford 1709) and then appropriated. Phase V Modern Carlingford

In conclusion the inquiry found: ‘The town presents a very miserable appearance. It is inhabited chiefly by persons who make a livelihood by fishing; they are represented as being too poor even to maintain a school in the town, and it was suggested as one of the purposes to which a fund to be derived from enclosing the commons should be applied.’ The corpora- tion was accordingly abolished by the Municipal Reform Act of 1840.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 12 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 4.0 SITE DESCRIPTION & ARCHAEOLOGICAL OVERVIEW

4.1 SETTING AND CONTEXT The present civil parish of Carlingford, representing most of the land in Cooley not held by the church, contains fifty townlands, extending across the Cooley peninsula, though the borough occupied the two townlands of Carlingford Liberties and Commons. The Liberties includes north common (largely rough pasture still on the Ordnance Survey OS 6” map) and a narrow coastal belt of road and settlement. The Commons was a large area south and east of the town.

The location of the town cannot be better described than it was by Bradley: ‘The town is situated at the foot of Slieve Foy along a narrow ledge of land where the mountain slope meets the sea. The medieval town lay between the castle, on the north, and the parish church, on the south, with its long axis aligned north-south, accommodating itself to the town from the south and south-east, converge on the narrow corridor of low ground. Both the castle and the market place, then run together as far as the castle, church are on high points but it is the castle built on a where they join into a single road to the north. Beyond rock outcrop projecting into Carlingford Lough and form- them, to the east, was a further line, the old shoreline, ing a sheltered harbour which dominates the town. The rather obscured by the arrival of the railway, but visible medieval parish church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is in old views of the town. It may be conjectured that the sited on top of a ridge which may be partly added to by main street (Tholsel Street) was at one time the shore- burials. Two mountain streams run into the lough at this line, and that the town has migrated across the road, thus point and would appear to have formed the town’s water creating a series of parallel blocks of properties. This is supply. Isaac Butler, who visited Carlingford in 1744 entirely characteristic of seaside and riverside towns (e.g. records that the northernmost stream gave its name to in England; King’s Lynn, Dover, Hull and London). ‘Spout Gate’ at the west end of River Street where the stream still flows in an open conduit beside the street. The tenement blocks (or burgage plots) are at their Its course would suggest that it ran down the centre of most regular between the parallel streets, and are rather the Market Street to the Harbour. The southern stream less regular as they climb the hill, and in the wider areas supplied the Dominican friary and probably operated its south of the market place. The best guide to the historic mill. The present quay front is not the original one and street pattern is to be found in the manuscript sheets is the result of mid-nineteenth century reclamation made of the Ordnance Survey plan of the town in the 1830s, in order to construct the railway station, which is now which shows a pattern not dissimilar from that of today disused. The old railway line now functions as a road.’ (or rather, that of a decade ago). The Tholsel gate, the one remaining town gate, leads onto the main street , 4.2 THE MEDIEVAL TOWN: TOPOGRAPHY AND now known as Tholsel Street, where one of the medieval BUILDINGS stone houses, the fancifully named ‘Mint’, stands. The Carlingford has a slightly unusual town plan for Norman church (which may pre-date the town) sits awkwardly on planned towns in Ireland, though one that is not unusual the edge of the town, but may mark the edge of the pri- for port towns elsewhere. There are two main parallel mary defensive line, while the Dominican Friary, an early streets, crossed by a market place that accommodates 14th-century latecomer may have given occasion for a the above-mentioned stream. The two streets approach southward extension of the defences.

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The remains of the defences (described in detail in the the south wall of the churchyard). From here the existing Gazetteer) are limited to a few lengths of standing wall property boundaries, in part marked by a standing wall, (most impressively near the north-west corner), but the curve south-eastward, around what may have been the entire outline can now be traced, with some degree of west part of the Dominican precinct. Where they reach certainty, as low walls and current property bounds. the road the wall was reputed to be the town wall, accord- The castle limits the north end of the town, and recent ing to 18th-century plans on property deeds of Christ excavations have located the north gate and thus the Church, Dublin. The seaward return is uncertain (as is line of the north wall. The Norden plan of c.1610 clearly the return east from the Tholsel on the inner line. A formal shows a tower at the north-west corner (and no sea- sea defence was perhaps not thought necessary (or was front defences). The west line of the walls passes in an formed by a near-continuous line of back walls), but the almost straight line southwards towards the lost Spout location of Taaffe’s castle provided the appearance of a Gate and continues beyond towards what may have been well-defended seafront. the primary south-west corner of the town (in line with

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4.3 THE MEDIEVAL TOWN: town. Here the land starts to rise up to the west line of ARCHAEOLOGICAL OVERVIEW the town wall and beyond to the lower pasture slopes Introduction of Slieve Foye mountain. Natural boulder clay was ex- Since 1991 over forty licences have been issued for posed close to the surface in at least two investigations archaeological work within the Town and Liberties of in this area with no surviving archaeological deposits Carlingford. The majority of these were either for pre-de- (1996:260 & 1997:368 [97E0064]). Trenching in 1997 velopment test-trenching or monitoring of ground works immediately outside the medieval town, west of the town for new dwellings or extensions to existing dwellings or wall and south of River Street in an area now being highly businesses. developed has also shown that the natural gravels lie close to the surface here and no archaeological deposits Most of the licensed works are summarised in the on- were found (1997:369 [97E0018]). line Database of Irish Excavation Reports: http://www. excavations.ie/Pages/HomePage.php , having been The west side of the south end of the town also ap- published in the annual volumes, e.g. Isabel Bennett (ed.), pears to have been little developed, and exhibits a lack Excavations 2003: Summary accounts of archaeologi- of significant archaeology, but for opposing topographic cal excavations in Ireland (Wordwell Press, 2006). The reasons. Some areas here are low lying and were formerly references quoted are to the summaries therein followed marshy, the land only sloping up to the west beyond the by the excavation licence number where known. Some line of the town wall. Trenching west of Dundalk Street attempt has been made to locate original reports and il- in 1996 (1996:261[96E305]), just east of the probable lustrations, though this has proved a difficult task, despite line of the wall, showed substantial made-up ground but the ready cooperation of many of the archaeologists revealed no significant archaeological deposits or finds. concerned and the Department in Dublin (DEHLG). The However investigations have also shown that in certain results have been tabulated and mapped (see Appendix locations there is survival of a considerable depth of sig- III), and it was thought useful to provide a descriptive nificant medieval archaeology which potentially contains overview of the discoveries. a great deal of information about the development of the medieval townscape. Description The largest programme of works was test-trenching The testing for the main drainage (1998:419[98E0161]) necessitated by the installation of a new sewerage and works revealed a substantial ditch and a later wall with drainage scheme and laying of telecom cables, all in 1998 gateway and cobbled road at the north end of Newry (98E0161). There were two phases of trenching: the first Street. These features were dated to the 13th/14th comprising the opening of eleven trenches mostly in the centuries by build-up deposits against the wall and prob- central part of the town and the second of thirty-five test ably represented the east end of the northern line of the trenches throughout the town and east of the town around defences and a north gate into the medieval town almost Shore Road, some of which led to rescue excavation of exactly where Bradley predicted it would be. The wall significant archaeological features and deposits. Many survived to a height of over two metres, below the ground, sites have shown nothing of archaeological significance, with associated medieval deposits. with natural deposits close to the surface, whereas oth- ers have revealed substantial surviving medieval deposits including remains of the town walls and other structures. Earlier shore gravels and seashore structures have also been uncovered. Overall the archaeological investigations have given windows into the development of the medieval and later settlement patterns and defences and a picture of the varying zones of archaeological survival and poten- tial within the town.

Of the sites with no archaeology, and natural deposits near the surface, a large proportion are situated along Back Lane on the west side of the northern part of the

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Earlier work (1994:166[94E187]) in this area, on a dual function of sea wall and bawn wall. Earlier trench- site on the west side of Newry Street, just south of the ing (1995:191[95E122]) had revealed much about the site of the north wall and gate and therefore within the construction of the building itself. medieval town, revealed potential medieval deposits with survival of organic material. Up to one metre depth Beach gravels were also seen relatively close to the of post-medieval material had overlain parts of the site surface outside the east gate of Holy Trinity Church and in one corner below this was a 15th-17th century in 1999 (part of 98E0161) during monitoring of the layer which in turn overlay 0.5m of late medieval or early ongoing main drainage scheme. Four young male adult post-medieval garden soil. Below the garden soil was a human skeletons, all with sword cuts on their skulls, peaty layer 0.3m thick which sat upon the natural grav- were found in two shallow graves cut into the gravel. els. This layer contained branches and possible wattles These are thought to have been late medieval or early and may represent medieval occupation with evidence post-medieval infantry men struck from horseback. The of structures that stood along Newry Street. church itself sits on a mound rising quite steeply from street level. Work here related to refurbishment of the On the east side of the town work has revealed shore church as the heritage centre (1992:133[92E0037]) gravels and beach deposits at a relatively shallow depth has unsurprisingly revealed late medieval/post-me- below the present town (Louth Arch & Hist Journ. dieval inhumations within and adjacent to the church 1992 92E0036]). Ten metres east of Tholsel Street, building but so far no earlier archaeology has been opposite the Mint, a four metre wide structure, possibly exposed beneath the burial deposits. a medieval breakwater or sea defence of some kind, was excavated. The structure had a north terminus with Work in the centre of Carlingford at the market square an earlier cobbled surface adjacent to it and a small (1996:262[96E260]) has shown up to 1m of deposits square stone structure to the west which may have above natural gravels but these consisted of post-medi- been a holding tank for fish. eval demolition deposits. Another site in this locale did not reach natural at 0.7m and at that depth the deposits On the west side of Tholsel Street test trenching on were of post-medieval date (1996:263[96E322]). a site between the Tholsel and the Mint revealed that properties here are cut into a natural gravel ridge to Potential of Archaeological Deposits the west and no archaeological deposits were found on There is considerable variation in the existence and that side of the site; the gravel being exposed at ground survival of archaeological deposits within the town of level (1998:Ad6 [97E0141]). On the east of the site, in Carlingford which is due largely to the settlement and the four metres adjacent to the street there was up to land use pattern being influenced by the topographical about one metre of deposits which consisted mostly of situation: namely, that the town is on the sea shore at modern and post-medieval rubble; however a floor level the foot of mountain slopes. at 0.5m depth, at the south end of the site, contained some 13th/14th century sherds of local ware. Therefore on the west side of the town particularly west of Back Lane, where the land starts to rise noticeably, Rescue excavations at Taaffe’s castle (1998:419[part the natural is close to the surface and there are few of 98E0161]) necessitated by the main drainage archaeological deposits. This is because the slope scheme uncovered two north-south walls south of would have made development more difficult and the the building. The eastern one was at the south-east settlement was concentrated nearer Tholsel Street, corner and presumably connected to the existing stub Newry Street and the shoreline. of wall arch in this location. Both walls showed tight jointing and appeared to show exposure to the sea on Around Newry Street, especially at the north end, their eastern faces. It was therefore suggested that near the Castle, considerable medieval deposits and the western one was earlier and the eastern one was structures have been found. The Railway cutting has contemporary with the castle and both had served the truncated a strip of deposits between the town and the

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castle but most of the town area is west of this. The There are possible traces of medieval deposits immedi- Castle is probably one of the main reasons for Carling- ately west of Tholsel Street but the natural here rises to ford’s early growth, if not existence, and settlement may the west forming a gravel ridge. have been concentrated adjacent to it in early medieval times. The work that has been done has revealed a large amount of information about the development of the The market square, which may have been thought to town. The deposits towards the north-east, around have been an early focus of settlement and activity, has Castle Hill and Newry Street, seem to offer the greatest deposits of one metre including post-medieval demoli- potential for survival of further important evidence of tion deposits deep but no evidence yet of any medieval not only the town defences but may possibly contain activity. This is probably because no investigations have medieval occupation layers with organic remains in- reached the medieval deposits due to the depth of later cluding timber from buildings. deposits and not due to lack of medieval activity. The extensive work undertaken, and the brief nature On the eastern side of the town, on the medieval sea of many of the existing reports means that there re- shore and east of Tholsel Street, earlier shore gravels mains potential for further study of the discoveries, and and some medieval structures survive. The gravels are in particular the finds. It would be desirable to bring not deep and there is not a great depth of deposits. The these together in a single monographic account of the area would seem to have been claimed from the sea archaeology of Carlingford. and developed from the mid to late medieval periods.

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5.1 LEVELS OF SIGNIFICANCE Basis of the Assessment Outstanding Significance: elements of the monument The assessment of significance reflects the cultural and which are of key national or international significance, ecological aspects of the monument as a whole, par- as among the best (or the only surviving example) of ticularly in relation to medieval walled towns in Ireland, an important class of monument, or outstanding repre- while also assessing the sections of the site individually. sentatives of important social or cultural phenomena, or Significance in other terms are taken into consideration, are of very major regional or local significance. including an academic context and other values that visi- tors or users of the land may assign to the monument Considerable Significance: elements which constitute and its historical perspective. good and representative examples of an important class of monument (or the only example locally), or have a The components of the settlement are assessed particular significance through association, although individually, thus providing a detailed framework before surviving examples may be relatively common on a being considered in a wider setting. This will be used to national scale, or are major contributors to the overall identify key elements and to highlight specific areas for significance of the monument. consideration. Moderate Significance: elements which contribute to the Levels of Significance character and understanding of the monument, or which Initially, an assessment is made on the significance of provide an historical or cultural context for features of the monument at three levels: national, regional and individually greater significance. local. The monument can also be considered from four major aspects: intrinsic architectural interest, intrinsic Low Significance: elements which are of individually low historical interest, historical association, and group value in general terms, or have little or no significance in (overall) value. promoting understanding or appreciation of the monu- ment, without being actually intrusive. Other factors considered include: the monument’s ability to characterise a period; the rarity of survival; the extent Uncertain Significance: elements which have potential of documentation; association with other monuments; to be significant (e.g. buried archaeological remains) but survival of archaeological potential above and below where it is not possible to be certain on the evidence ground; its fragility/vulnerability; and diversity. currently available.

Less tangible, but still vital to the significance of the Intrusive: items which are visually intrusive or which monument, are the social and spiritual qualities which obscure understanding of significant elements or values it represents. These can be formulated in the following of the monument. Recommendations may be made on fields: representative value (the ability to demonstrate removal or other methods of mitigation. social or cultural developments); historical continuity; literary and artistic values; formal, visual and aesthetic 5.2 STATEMENT OF OVERALL SIGNIFICANCE qualities; the evidence of social history themes; contem- The overall significance of Carlingford can be defined as porary communal values; and the power to communicate follows: values and significance. Carlingford is of outstanding significance as a medieval Degrees of Significance defended town with its castle, walls and other buildings Measures for assessing the significance of Carlingford demonstrating the life and trade of the town in a in its various aspects have been based on all the above spectacular natural setting. criteria where they have seemed relevant. The degrees of significance adopted here are: The significance of Carlingford is also expressed here as

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 18 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council key phases of significance (§5.3) and the key elements development of the town. There are a number of key of significance (§5.4), along with the individual assess- views of the town that are significant for the apprecia- ments made in the Gazetteer. tion of its setting, including views across the town from the castle looking south, and from the south of the town 5.3 KEY PERIODS OF SIGNIFICANCE looking north-west, and views from the harbour towards Phase I: Prehistoric- the mountains. The town can also be seen in the wider Early Medieval Carlingford context of the Cooley peninsula as a key element of the While the area around Carlingford is of Considerable medieval landscape that supported the town. Significance for its early archaeology, this has not yet been shown for the town itself, though there must be Ecology potential for early phases of occupation to be discov- The ecology of the mountain and harbour are of con- ered. Low Significance. siderable significance for understanding the landscape history of the site, and for the biodiversity value they Phase II: The Medieval Town represent. The medieval town survives with key buildings intact, and its topography and setting clearly visible. Together with The Castle the historical context, and archaeological discoveries The surviving remains of Carlingford Castle are of and remaining potential, this is of Outstanding Signifi- considerable significance as a key element in the origins cance. of Carlingford as a defended site on a narrow coastal pass. Phase III: Early Modern The early modern period was important for the survival The Medieval Town Plan of the town, though it has left few obvious traces, and The street plan of Carlingford is of considerable was of Moderate Significance. significance for preserving the medieval topography of the town, which represents a slightly unusual layout of Phase IV: 19th-century Carlingford parallel streets aligned along the shore. The 19th century saw the disappearance of the corpora- tion, and the arrival of the railway and Greenore Docks. Medieval Town Walls These were Intrusive, despite the benefit they brought, The medieval town walls are of considerable significance although many buildings of this period now create the for defining the area of medieval settlement, for the character of the town, and therefore the phase is of surviving elements (west wall and Tholsel), especially the Moderate Significance. juxtaposition of the wall and mountainside showing the urban/rural divide in a dramatic manner, and also for the Phase V: Modern Carlingford potential for further discovery below ground. From the point of view of the medieval town and de- fences, the development of the town, however desirable Medieval Buildings in the Town socially and economically, has occurred at the expense The Friary, Holy Trinity Church, Tholsel, Mint and Taaffe’s of historic fabric, leading to destruction and loss in Castle (and King John’s Castle) together form an places, and an impact on the appearance and setting of exceptional group of medieval structures demonstrating the town that can only be seen as Intrusive. the variety of urban building in a relatively small town, and are therefore of Outstanding Significance. 5.4 KEY ELEMENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE Setting and Context Archaeology The natural and landscape setting of Carlingford The evidence of past discoveries suggests there is an is of considerable significance. The landscape of exceptional potential for discovery of buried remains mountain and sea lough is of natural beauty and historic of the medieval town in some places, with a quality of significance for the general setting of the town, as survival partly arising from the lack of later destructive the land and sea routes are significant for the historic activity. This is of considerable significance.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 19 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Part ii: Issues and Policies 6. CONSERVATION POLICY AIMS

Documentation Although discontinuous, the documentary record of the site from the 13th to the 17th century is of moderate quality and significance, compared with other places.

6.1 This section of the Conservation Plan proposes policies to protect and, where possible, to enhance the significance of the monument as it has been identified and described above. The proposed policies are intended both to meet immediate needs and to provide for the long term. The underlying objective is to ensure that what is significant and valuable in the monument survives for the use and enjoyment of the future, whatever the present priorities may seem to be. In implementing the policies, it is important that a balance is maintained between conservation, continued farming use, and public expectation from the monument.

The proposed policies are intended to provide a framework for decision making and a benchmark against which to assess proposals for change. Specifically they aim to:

• Preserve and protect the significance of Carlingford for the benefit of present and future generations. • Establish an effective conservation philosophy for the monument. • Provide guidance for a sympathetic management regime. • Consider how public access can be assured and appreciation of the monument enhanced through schemes of interpretation. • Define policies to help guide the care and maintenance of the monument. • Provide guidance on the treatment of features which are intrusive or detrimental to an understanding of the monument. • Identify elements of significance which have suffered erosion, and which may be restored to understanding.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 20 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 7 ISSUES, OPPORTUNITIES & POLICIES

7.1 AIMS AND APPROACHES material should be made in the Anglesey estate records 7.1.1 The aim in identifying issues and proposing action to in PRONI. meet them is to promote the protection, conservation, ap- propriate uses and future management of the monument Policies for information, recording and research buildings in a manner which retains their significance. The Policy 1: Information, recording & research overall purpose is to ensure that what is valuable about To promote understanding of Carlingford’s Town Walls Carlingford survives for the benefit of future generations, through developing existing knowledge, further recording as well as serving the needs of the present. and research, and making knowledge available in an ac- cessible form, in order to ensure their preservation. 7.1.2 The plan seeks to place information and under- standing as the key to effective protection, conservation Policy 1.1: and enhancement, so that decision-making is an informed To create a formal heritage record for Carlingford, distinct process. from working files and records of current transactions, to include a record of all interventions in the monument. 7.2 UNDERSTANDING • Provide clear mapping of the defence zone for planners 7.2.1 Current Understanding: The wall is partly visible and and residents well-understood, but there remain areas of uncertainty • Create a definitive collection of archaeological reports about the route of the wall (and possible changes in the for Carlingford defensive circuit over time). This information is not easily • Survey the most significant remains available to planners and residents, which has resulted • Publish the results of previous excavations. in loss and damage. It is essential that the line and Policy 1.2 significance of the wall is well understood by residents, To promote future research, with a planned agenda for planners and developers. investigations and an ability to respond to opportunities. • Adopt a research agenda for Carlingford 7.2.2 The history and archaeology of Carlingford is not • Ensure that work on or near the walls is informed by fully understood, and more research needs to be done prior investigation on the town, and on locating scattered sources that can • Seek opportunities for archaeological investigation of illuminate its past. the line of the wall • Record future repair and maintenance works 7.2.3 Archaeological Potential: Although the major monu- • Carry out further investigation in historical and archive ments have been well studied and surveyed, the standing sources. remains of defences still have potential for research and investigation, as do the buried remains of the walls and 7.3 PROTECTION gates. Some of the other, older buildings in the town are Survival and Physical Condition likely to preserve elements of historic fabric hidden by 7.3.1 The defences of Carlingford have been diminished later rebuilding, and likewise have potential for research through neglect and processes of rebuilding, gradual and investigation. alteration and demolition. Despite the protected status of Carlingford destruction and damage has taken place re- 7.2.4 The results of previous excavations have been con- cently to the fabric, environs, and setting of the defences. sidered, and it is clear that the sites reported briefly or in 7.3.2 The surviving parts of the defences are in various summary deserve further study and proper publications, stages of repair, ranging from reasonable maintenance perhaps best achieved by bringing the results together in to benign neglect. The condition of the Castle and major a single monograph. monuments is reasonable, though there is concern re- garding the works being undertaken at Taaffe’s Castle. 7.2.5 Historical Potential: Further study of local and national records would yield valuable information about 7.3.3 The walls have a varied rate of survival, from greater the history of Carlingford. The lost records of the Corpo- or lesser standing remains to buried foundations. They ration should be sought and searches for relevant are at risk from adjacent building works, gardening and

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 21 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council landscaping activities. The standing remains are in need Policies for Protection of maintenance or at least monitoring of their condition. Policy 2: Protection To place the conservation of Carlingford and its defences, 7.3.4 The physical remains of the walls comprises both and the protection of its setting at the heart of future the walls and their setting, and there is a need more vig- planning and management. orously to protect the fabric and setting of the monument from inappropriate development nearby (while recognis- Policy 2.1: To protect the historic fabric and character of ing that they are an urban monument in a changing built the historic defences within Carlingford, and the surviving environment). evidence for their former use and functions. • Stringent controls on development near the defences or Development Pressures & Protection of affecting their setting Carlingford • No development on the line of the defences. 7.3.5 Despite the existence of development studies and planning guidance for Carlingford, the recent decade Policy 2.2: To initiate repair programmes for standing of development has changed the character of the historic elements, and encourage careful maintenance and town in a manner that can only be regretted. The remark- monitoring. able setting of the historic town between mountain and • Encourage partnership repair programme with owners seashore, and the key role of the defences in expressing of walls the change from town to country has been diminished • Provide guidance on good practice for maintenance through allowing tall buildings near the walls, and build- • Seek to engage with state and private owners regarding ing in the green areas outside the walls, that have had a repairs and curation of major monuments (Castle, Taaffe’s serious impact on the historic skyline and visible relation Caste, Tholsel, etc.). between the historic town and its rural setting. Policy 2.3: To encourage awareness of the fragility of 7.3.6 Despite Carlingford Lough’s designation at local, buried remains (e.g. in gardens), and to protect them from national, and international levels for its significance, the damage. harbour is at risk from development pressure, where • Provide guidance on good practice for maintenance. there is further potential to damage the historic maritime character of the town (including the tidal harbour) as well Policy 2.4: as the marine environment. To minimise risk to the historic fabric of the monument from normal public use and administrative operations. Protection of Carlingford Heritage • Provide physical protection where appropriate, Collections e.g. Tholsel gate. 7.3.7 The Carlingford Lough Heritage Centre provides • Ensure that public services and infrastructure works an admirable display for understanding the locality outwith planning control do not cause damage to the and providing orientation for visitors. It does not hold monument. archaeological or historical collections but there are extensive collections of materials and records recovered Policy 2.5: To protect the skyline and rural setting of in recent archaeological works in Carlingford that need to the walled medieval town, and its historic relationship to be collected and curated. Carlingford Lough. • Re-affirm Green Belt area in Local Plan 7.3.8 Archaeological records are the essential prime • Designate protected harbour zone. material that needs to be available for future interrogation and study. They are often retained by the commercial Policy 2.6: To identify collections of materials from Car- contractors, and need to be collected lest they become lingford excavations and bring them into an appropriate damaged or lost, and placed in a secure store. They have curatorial regime. similar, though not identical, needs to archaeological • Identify contractors with written records and finds finds, which are also at risk. • Liaison between Louth County Museum, Louth Archives and Carlingford Heritage Centre about appropriate locations for long-term storage of materials.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 22 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council

7.4 conservation Repair Needs and A Philosophy of Conservation 7.4.1 Works on the defences of Carlingford should Policy 3.2: To ensure that all works, whether new works, endeavour to protect historic character and significance. conservation or repair, are informed by a clear and de- Works should avoid unconsidered change and loss of tailed understanding of the monument, are preceded by significance through over-restoration, and should seek appropriate investigations of the historic fabric, and are minimal and reversible approaches. Appropriate tradi- fully recorded. tional materials and mortars should be used. • Establish a cycle of monitoring and maintenance. • Investigate, survey, and record parts of monument prior 7.4.2 Works should be informed by full understanding to and during works. of the fabric, and a full record of condition before and • Ensure repairs are recorded and logged for the walls as after should be made, if necessary by an archaeologist, a single maintenance archive for the monument to inform to record any discoveries. future management decisions. Policy 3.3: To carry out all works in accordance with the 7.4.3 Works should be undertaken by specialist contrac- highest standards of conservation, retaining significance, tors with experience of historic fabric repairs.

Policies for Conservation, Repair and Maintenance avoiding loss of fabric, and adhering to historical accuracy Policy 3: Conservation, repair & maintenance in design, materials and workmanship. To implement effective regimes for maintenance and • Employ experienced firms to design and carry out repair, protecting significance and historic integrity and works. observing exemplary standards of conservation practice. • Ensure that clearance and maintenance is carried out under supervision. Policy 3.1: To ensure regular and effective programmes of • Where possible allowed a reasonable level of non-de- structural maintenance, with planned monitoring, inspec- structive plant growth. tion, conservation and repair. • Monitor and investigate cracks and failures. • Investigate the need for localised stone repair/fixing. • Remove tree and shrub growth, and discourage re- growth, and ivy.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 23 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council

7.5 ENHANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES Improving legibility and access

7.5.1 There are many opportunities for enhancing the ap- Policy 4.2 To enhance public appreciation of the de- pearance of the defences, and their context and setting. fences and their setting wherever possible by removing or ameliorating visually intrusive elements, or those which 7.5.2 Access to the defences would require the estab- conceal or confuse understanding. lishment of footpaths and viewing points, sometimes in • To improve the setting of features e.g. Civil Defence partnership with private landowners. The principle of the buildings below the Castle, and housing built near the buffer zone of public access required for a recent develop- town walls. ment should be followed elsewhere. Clearing of the wall zone would require some landscaping, and subsequent Policy 4.3 To enhance understanding of the historic monu- maintenance. ment, where appropriate by repairing past damage, and seeking to re-create key elements which have been lost. 7.5.3 Access to Carlingford Castle could be improved • To replace or mark out lost or damaged features North with rebuilt steps and a viewing point, and if necessary Gate, Spout Gate, and north walls safety works to make access less hazardous. The means • Consider revealing lost and buried elements of the of promoting public access to privately owned Taaffe’s western wall circuit. Castle should be explored, either by public acquisition or agreement with the owner. Means of obtaining better ac- cess to The Mint (which could be roofed) and the upper stage of the Tholsel should be investigated.

7.5.4 Lost features such as the town gates could be marked out in paving, possibly following non-destructive investigation of their location and character; the line of the lost north walls could similarly be identified in the paving. With the north gate, there might be opportunities for recreating a landmark ‘entry feature’ to celebrate the site of the gate.

Policies for enhancement & improvement

Policy 4 To enhance the historic character and visual qualities of the monument, where appropriate, by restoring eroded elements or indicating lost features, and removing intrusive elements.

Policy 4.1 To improve public access so as to minimise impact on the monument • To maintain good and equal means of access for visitors • To provide new means of access to the walls, by creation of paths and landscaping • To improve access to Carlingford Castle, Taaffe’s Castle, The Mint and Tholsel.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 24 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council

7.6 VISITOR ISSUES

Visitor access in Carlingford to tell through walks, facts sheets, music/song, sean- 7.6.1 Visitors to Carlingford may enjoy the Heritage nachie/livinghistory initiatives the impact of the develop- Centre and walking through the streets of Carlingford, ment of Carlingford both in terms of residents within and but the lack of access to monuments such as the Castle, beyond the Pale should be explored. Taaffe’s Castle and the interior of the Mint and Tholsel is frustrating for the curious. Policies for access and interpretation Policy 5: To encourage public understanding and enjoy- 7.6.2 Even if made aware of the walls, access to a perim- ment of the site and its setting, promoting a high degree eter walk is not obvious to the visitor, and the understand- of physical and intellectual access and meeting the needs ing that a view from the mountainside brings is not being of a broad variety of users. promoted. Policy 5.1: To ensure that enjoyment and understanding Visitors to Louth and Down of the monument are open and accessible to all. 7.6.3 Carlingford is but one of a large number of prehistoric • Ensure that public access to the walls is enhanced not and medieval antiquities in a region of outstanding natural diminished. beauty, and has the potential to feature in a broad-cross- • Improve mapping and signage to historic features in border promotion of (at least) Louth, Armagh, and Down. the town • Ensure opportunities for equal access for the mobility 7.6.4 Carlingford was historically linked with Greencastle, impaired, and provision of other means of understanding and other places around Carlingford Lough, which gives where this is not possible. potential for a maritime aspect to tourism. Policy 5.2: To promote Carlingford in its wider region of 7.6.5 Carlingford is an outlying element in the Anglo-Nor- county and cross-border landscape and antiquities, with man settlement of County Louth, and can be seen in the tourist trails and promotion. context of Drogheda, Mellifont, and numerous other sites • Link between historic sites (e.g. castles and medieval not necessarily in state care but nonetheless interesting. towns) in region • Promotion of natural and geological environs of Carling- 7.6.6 As the object of the great epic of early Irish literature, ford and its harbour An Táin Bó Cuailnge, the early archaeology of the Cooley • Highlight early Irish landscape and the Cooley peninsula peninsula and environs is another subject for promotion context of the Táin Bó Cúailnge. (as has been done with a recent coloured guide leaflet issued with ‘Archaeology Ireland’). Policy 5.3: To develop interpretation to encourage under- standing of the principal features of the monument, and 7.6.7 The geology of the Gullion-Carlingford area is also facilitate access to information. of great potential for visitors and walkers, and is well-pre- • Mark the line of the defences on town maps and tourist sented in the Louth Museum, but could become more of literature a focus of tourist attention. • Provide modest signage to identify sites • Consider developing new materials and media. Presentation, Interpretation & Information 7.6.8 Visitors to Carlingford Heritage Centre will discover Policy 5.4: To develop a specific initiative to link historical much about Carlingford, and it is important that the Anti- and ecological understanding of conservation to maxim- quarian Guide is kept in print, and updated. ise sustainable usage of Carlingford’s environs for both residents and visitors to the area. 7.6.9 There is also a need for information outside, both for modest signage of historic features, and also for clear Policy 5.5 To develop the range of educational provision mapping for the visitor that indicates the medieval town for schools and other groups, as an important element in and its defences. There may be scope for online informa- interpretation and the promotion of access. tion, or extending the existing online services. • Develop a defences walk as part of an educational/tour- ist trail of the historic town. 7.6.10 The educational potential of the medieval and later town of Carlingford is immense, especially as seen in the broader context outlined above. The opportunities

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 25 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Part iii: future management 8. management plan

8.1 INTRODUCTION 8.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 8.1.1 The management of the Carlingford Town Walls will 8.3.1 The aims of the management plan is to promote necessarily rely on a combination of official encourage- the protection, conservation, appropriate uses and future ment and sponsorship, partnership with landowners, and management of the site and buildings in a manner which the enthusiasm of local interest groups. retains their significance. The overall purpose is to ensure that what is valuable about Carlingford survives for the 8.1.2 The conservation policies outlined in the Plan were benefit of future generations as well as serving the needs adopted by Louth County Council on 31st March 2008 of the present (7.1.1 above). and will be promoted as the basis for future management. , though they will need to be approved by the appropriate 8.3.2 The objectives can be summarised as follows: committees, and there may be advantage also in secur- ing the agreement and support of related statutory and WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR CARLINGFORD? other bodies and authorities. This process of agreement Understanding may require further consultation to resolve any remaining • Revise town plan and visitor map concerns and secure full support. • Further historical and archaeological research • Collect and publish results of excavations in Carlingford 8.2 RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SITE Protection 8.2.1 Carlingford Town Walls fall under several landown- • Protection of fabric erships, and although the walls at one time will have • Protection from development damage belonged to the Corporation (and the County Council • Effective repair and maintenance as its successor body) no trace of public ownership now • Protection of buried remains remains, except for the individual monuments in state • Minimise risk from traffic care. The means of effecting works of conservation and • Protect green setting of walls and harbour setting of enhancement can thus only be by consent and partner- town ship agreements. • Protect records and archaeological finds Conservation • Ensure maintenance and repair of remains 8.2.2 Responsibilities can be summarised as follows: • All works informed by understanding • All works carried out to proper standards WHO CAN DO WHAT FOR CARLINGFORD? Enhancement Landowners and inhabitants • Improved public access to walls, castles and historic • Care and concern for remains buildings • Vigilance against unsympathetic change • Improving the setting of historic structures • Revealing or setting out location of lost features (gates) Local Authority Visitor issues • Responsible planning guidance and enforcement • Develop town trail and access to walls • Encouragement of best practice • Improve signage • Facilitate enhancement (and obtain grants) • Establish viewpoints for significant views • Improve access to King John’s Castle and Mint The State • Access to Taaffe’s Castle? • Maintain and promote State monuments • Additional resources for Heritage Centre • Encourage public access • Promote Carlingford in the context of medieval Louth/ • Promote across-border heritage tourism Down, and its natural setting • Promote across-border heritage tourism

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 26 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council

8.4 works programme 8.6. review 8.4.1 The potential works of conservation and enhance- 8.6.1 The Plan itself will need to be reviewed at regular ment of the Town Walls can be considered in three intervals (every five years would probably be sufficient) areas: to reflect increased knowledge, altered circumstances, changes in legislation or guidance, and the changing A: Information and Access aspirations of the principal bodies and partners involved. B: Presentation and Interpretation The review process itself will need to be co-ordinated C: Fabric and Structural Works between the bodies.

8.4.2 The works are here set out as a scheme of actions for the short, medium, and long term, as shown in the following tables.

8.5 RESEARCH AGENDA 8.5.1 A research agenda should not be too prescriptive, or obstruct the development of new ideas and possible avenues of investigation. However, it may be useful to record what seems at this stage to be the range of issues that could be addressed by historical and archaeological investigations. These are shown in the following table, arranged under subject headings:

CARLINGFORD RESEARCH TOPICS Historical investigations • Anglesey family estates and archives (PRONI) • Moore/Ross archives • Corporation records • Early maps of the area • Decline of harbour and fishery • Visits by artists and antiquaries • Estates, settlements and boundaries in Cooley • Urban network in Counties Louth and Down Architectural investigations • Survey of remaining defences • Domestic architecture of Carlingford

Archaeological investigations • Character of defences (walls, gates, ditches) • Extent of urban settlement and suburbs • Development of seashore and harbour • Evidence for decline and abandonment • Evidence of economic activity of town • Environmental evidence from wet and dry deposits

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 27 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix B: Carlingford Gazetteer

GAZETTEER CONTENTS

Context and setting

1.01 Overall Setting and Visual Context B3 1.02 Boundaries and DESIGNATIONS B5 1.03 Carlingford CASTLE B7 1.04 Taaffe’s CASTLE B11 1.05 The MINT B15 1.06 Historic HOUSES B17 1.07 Holy Trinity Church B19 1.08 Dominican Friary B21 1.09 The Water MILL B23

Town WALLS 2.01 Site of North Gate (Newry Street) B25 2.02 Line of North WALL B27 2.03 Western Wall: North END B29 2.04 WesternWall: North of Spout Gate B33 2.05 Site of Spout Gate (River Lane) B37 2.06 WesternWall: South of Spout Gate B39 2.07 Possible Line of South WALL B41 2.08 South -West WALL B43 2.09 Line of Friary WALLS B45 2.10 Churchyard WALL B47 2.11 The THOLSEL B49 2.12 Line of South-East WALL B51 2.13 Sea-Shore DEFENCES B53

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 28 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.01 Overall Setting and Visual Context

Summary the mountain backdrop, showing the relation of the town Carlingford has a striking and historically important set- and castle to the narrow pass by the water’s edge. These ting between mountains and sea, reflecting the reasons occur both next to the defences, and from higher up the for the town’s location. mountain

Views out from Carlingford across the Lough to County Down are also of importance for the appreciation of the natural setting and historic context of the town, including the appearance of the harbour at different stages of the tides.

Views out from Carlingford across the Lough to County

CARLINGFORD TOWN WALLS Down are also of importance for the appreciation of the natural setting and historic context of the town, including Description the appearance of the harbour at different stages of the Carlingford sits in the boundary zone between the Louth tides. plains and the mountains, isolated from Louth by its own mountains, and perched between mountain and water. Status As described by Bradley: ‘The town is situated at the foot The views are an important part of the town, and visual of Slieve Foye along a narrow ledge of land where the aspects have been discussed in planning documents for mountain slope meets the sea. The medieval town lay Carlingford, but largely ignored in the granting of permis- between the castle, on the north, and the parish church, sions for new development. on the south, with its long axis aligned north-south, ac- commodating itself to the narrow corridor of low ground. Significance Both the castle and church are on high points but it is the The views of Carlingford in its setting are of Considerable castle built on a rock outcrop projecting into Carlingford importance for the character of the historic town. There Lough and forming a sheltered harbour which dominates are few medieval towns (certainly in these islands) where the town.’ the relationship of town, defences and countryside can be appreciated is such a way.

Issues/vulnerability • Key views have been compromised by modern develop- ment, impacting on the historic skyline of the town as seen from the harbour, by allowing tall buildings to be built next to the defences. • Development near the west walls, and the creation of a new road, and culverting of the historic stream have also had a negative impact on the setting of the defences and The town features in a series of key views, available to the historic town. the visitor as they were to early artists and photographers. These include views of the town from the castle, and Policies/Recommendations views of the town from various points in the harbour, Stringent planning controls are required before more and more distant views from the mountain. The more damage is done to the setting of the historic town. historically important views are of the town seen against

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 32 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.02 Boundaries and Designations

Summary protection of archaeology and built heritage are given at The natural and cultural aspects of Carlingford and its P2.9, and Development Guidelines for Carlingford are environs are well protected by designations and policies given in Appendix 2.5 at local and national level. The Development Plan also gives extensive care to the natural environment [§2.4]. Natural Heritage Areas noted for designation by the National parks and Wildlife Service include Carlingford Lough [NH452] and Carlingford Mountains [NH453]. Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) have been established under the EC Habitat Directive (1992) to conserve habitats and species or European significance, and these include Carlingford Lough and Carlingford Mountain. Special Protection Areas (SPAs) under the EC Birds Directive have been nominated, including Carlingford Lough (452). Important sites of geological interest nominated for designation as Natural Heritage Areas include Carlingford [G9].

The Carlingford Area Local Plan (September 2002) also includes important assessments, policies and develop- ment guidelines, and shows the extent of the central Conservation Area and surrounding Green Belt.

Status As above Significance Description The designations mostly reflect the significance of Car- The town of Carlingford is on the Record of Monuments lingford and its environs. and Places, and is protected under the National Monu- ments Act (1930-2004). Individual buildings are National Issues/vulnerability Monuments or Protected Structures under the Planning • The historic buildings of Carlingford have yet to be as- and Development Act (2000). Carlingford Castle is a sessed and listed National Monument in state care. • The designation of the historic centre is adequate, but Louth County Council Development Plan 2003-9 (as it would be advantageous also to have a more detailed emended July 2006) includes policies on the Built mapping of different components within the town, show- Environment [§2.5], with designated areas of Special ing defensive, secular, and religious zones. Archaeological Interest that include Carlingford [AR3]. Protected Structures are noted in Appendix 3, and include • The plan designations (and green belt mapping) do not the major monuments in Carlingford, while it is noted seem to have effectively preserved the town from the that the full county inventory has not yet been completed. effects of development pressure in the last decade. If Architectural Conservation Areas nominated in the plan this continues the historic character of Carlingford will be include Carlingford (maps in Appendix 2). Policies for even more severely compromised, if not destroyed.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 30 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.03 Carlingford Castle Summary In 1408 Janico Dartas was the constable (McNeil and A late 12th or early 13th century castle built on a rock Otway-Ruthven 1960, No. 371). In 1495 the castle is outcrop in a strong defensive position on the shore of the mentioned in a law enacting that “only able and sufficient Lough. Consisting of keepless curtain wall and towers persons of the realm of England” should be constables with a later internal division creating a large hall covering (Tempest 85). In the 1540s the castle was repaired with the east half of the castle and a courtyard in the west lead from the Drogehda friary (White). In 1649 the castle half. was surrendered to Lord Inchiquin and in the following year handed over to Sir Charles Coote and Col. Venables (Tempest 85).

The castle was repaired by Lord Anglesey prior to being taken into the care of the Office of Public Works.

Historical Background The castle is thought by Bradley to have been estab- lished by John De Courcy prior to his being outlawed in 1205 and subsequently granted to the de Lacys but was not referred to until 1210 when monies were spent on its repair by King John. The king made payments to carpenters, quarriers, ditchers and miners suggest- ing he strengthened the defences (Orpen 1911-20, ii, 252). Repairs were again effected in 1262 and there are records of the transportation of quarried stone and mortar (Orpen 1911-20, ii, 279).

Gosling considers that Hugh de Lacy was probably the builder of the castle between 1195, when he acquired the eastern part of the peninsula as part of a marriage Description settlement to Lescelina daughter of Bertram de Verdon, The castle was not open when visited and the following and King John’s visit in 1210. He further points out that description is largely summarised from the detailed ver- King John’s visit almost certainly took place because the sion in the Louth Archaeological Survey. castle was already in existence and John was not the initial builder as local tradition has had it. The castle is constructed of roughly coursed limestone blocks and greywacke, has a D-shaped curtain wall with The castle was sold by De Lacy’s heir in 1305 to Richard a rectangular gate-building at the west side, and a north- de Burgh, Earl of Ulster. The castle reverted to the crown south internal cross wall. The type of gateway and the when William de Burgh was murdered in 1333 and was shape of the tower at the south-west angle suggest a subsequently occupied by a series of royal constables slightly earlier date, and possibly around the turn of the (Bradley). According to Tempest (1983 84) Edward twelfth century would be more appropriate for the W half Loundres was appointed constable in 1388 when the of the structure. The east portion is considerably later, castle was described as out of repair and unsafe and in probably dating to c. 1262: this is based on a record in 1400 Henry IV granted licence to a Gernon constable a Pipe Roll (Cassidy 1983, 3) which states that a pay- to take corn and tithes within the Lordship of Cooley for ment was made for quarrying and transport of stone to the victualling of Greencastle and Carlingford Castle. Carlingford and Greencastle.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 31 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.03 Carlingford Castle The west or courtyard portion of the castle is polygonal Status and roughly D-shaped. At the west side are the remains of National Monument in the care of the Office of Public a rectangular gate-tower which must have had a centrally- Works. County Louth recorded monument No. LH005- pierced narrow entranceway c. 1.7m wide. Its south portion 04202-SMR 5:27 (Buckley -County Louth Archaeologi- has been destroyed and built over by a modern wall. The cal Inventory No. 1111) Within the zone of archaeological north tower has the remains of a stairwell in its north-east potential (Bradley) angle and has evidence for a barrel vault over the ground- floor level at its west end. Entrance to both gate-towers Significance was gained through doorways in their east walls. The surviving remains of Carlingford Castle are of con- siderable significance as a key element in the origins of There is an almost square projecting tower in the south- Carlingford as a defended site on a narrow coastal pass west angle which has an embrasure and slit open in each of and together with the Churches, Tholsel, Mint and Taaffe’s its three existing walls at ground level. At first-floor level the Castle forms a group of medieval structures demonstrating tower becomes five-sided in plan. Its original entrance was the variety of urban building in a relatively small town, and at first floor level in the in the north-east angle where there are therefore of Outstanding Significance is a narrow doorway of dressed sandstone. I t has a pointed arch over the doorway with the remains of plank centring in Condition the entrance passage. The access way at ground level has The ruins were conserved by the Office of Public Works in obviously been broken out at a later stage. The quoins in the 1950s and are in reasonably good order. Repairs are this tower are mainly of sandstone but this is not repeated marked by a membrane interfacing between the new and in the other angles of the castle. the historic fabric. It is thought that Lord Anglesey carried out some repair work prior to this and the work from this The cross wall is 3.3m thick at the base. It is clearly a later phase may be bonded directly to the historic fabric. insertion as it blocks earlier openings in the north and south walls and its south end is not bonded in. The first There are some modern walls which cut across or are floor timbers of the hall would have been supported on the additional to the historic fabric rather than being repairs cross wall and on corbels in the east wall. A spiral stair in or rebuilds of that fabric. the north-east angle leading to a mural passage and the first floor of the hall. Issues/vulnerability • The exterior of the castle is accessible but the gate to There is a barrel-vaulted basement in the south-east of the the interior was locked. castle with wicker centring still in place. The curtain wall • Access to the castle (steps and a safety rail) could be has gone in the south-east angle but there may have been improved. a projecting tower as the remnant of the east wall splays • There is a single information board but otherwise there out here. The area within the south-east angle appears to are no interpretative/visitor facilities, much more could be have been rebuilt in the late medieval period, with various made of this heritage resource. dividing walls with fireplaces at ground and first floor level • The 19th century railway cutting, now a road, has further and the remains of a first floor arcade. The dressing of the isolated the castle from the town. arcade and the dressing and existence of the fireplaces • Some recent paint graffiti was present. suggest a mid-to-late 16th century date. • A modern wall has been built diagonally across the site of the lost south entrance tower which has resulted in A doorway in the east wall at basement level leading to changing the appearance of the west aspect and block- an external platform are probably post-medieval additions ing off the original entrance. This means the original which may represent a gun-port and gun-platform. layout and topography of the monument cannot easily be fully understood or experienced by the modern visitor.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 32 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.04 Taaffe’s Castle

Summary walk. The extension has a parapet with crenellations. Substantial remains of a c16th century four storey forti- Both parts are built of roughly coursed limestone and fied tower house with a later 16th century two-storeyed greywacke rubble. The rubble varies from large boulders to north annexe. small, thin, levelling slate-like pieces. There are several conservation issues/threats including adjacent development work, current development work on the building and vegetation and water damage.

Historical Background Very little is known of the history of this building. It is a Occasional squared dressed blocks are incorporated and fortified tower house and this type of structure was the these are probably reused. The tower has large stone favoured residence of the country gentry and some of quoins which are finely dressed on their outer faces, the the urban merchant classes during the late medieval and extension has similar quoins to the north but these are of early post-medieval period from about 1450 to 1650. slightly lower quality. Gosling notes that it may have belonged at one time to Nicholas Taaffe, Earl of Carlingford killed in 1690 at the The tower has a two-centred arched door in the west end Battle of the Boyne. of the south wall. The slightly crude arch consists of nine These houses with their emphasis on defence would have plain dressed voussoirs, this would appear to be a later the living quarters in the upper floors and storerooms on insertion with the original door, now blocked, being in the the ground and lower floors. west wall with a machicolation at parapet level above it. Most of the early window openings in the tower, which are Description either narrow slits or narrow single light windows, have The structure was viewed externally but the interior was good dressed stone surrounds. Some of the slits have not accessible. The description below is based on external a plain chamfer and some of the slits and windows have visual inspection combined with the description and plans round heads and hollow chamfers. Another window has a in the Louth Archaeological Survey which incorporate flat head and hollow chamfer. One window in the second survey work by Ms B. Cassidy for a BA thesis at Queen’s floor on the east elevation is more decorative and has University Belfast. a moulded cusped ogee head with moulded spandrels and a square moulded dripmould, this possibly denotes a Taaffe’s Castle comprises the substantial surviving ma- higher status room, perhaps the main living area. There is sonry shell of a rectangular tower house of four storeys a slit window in the north-east corner angle at first floor with a later rectangular two-storey extension abutting the level with an ogee head, this has been partly covered by north wall. The original block has a stair tower in the south- the later extension. There is a chimney stack supported west corner which projects to the west and an upper wall on corbels in the North wall of the tower.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 33 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.04 Taaffe’s Castle

The ground floor contains a passage along the west side and extension project slightly with a string course of flat entered by the present door and formerly by the now stones which corbel the projection and with drain holes blocked west door. The passage leads to spiral steps in spaced frequently along the base of the parapet walls. the north-west corner accessing the first floor. The main ground floor room is not accessible from the passage On the tower roof level the west end part of the struc- and must have had a separate door or doors in the north ture with the stairs and a small chamber rose above the and/or east wall where there are now modern doorways. parapet, the wall walk was accessed from the stairs in the south-west and extended around the south, east and north sides between the parapet and the roof.

The first floor has a barrel vaulted ceiling. It also has a small chamber to the west above the lower passage but this is off the main room and separated from the spiral stairs which continue up in the north –west corner to the second floor. There is a mural garderobe chamber in the north-east corner which has the ogee headed slit mentioned above and a fireplace in the north wall.

The second floor is similar with garderobe and fireplace The later two-storey extension has been simply abutted in the same disposition but has stairs leading up to the to the east end of the north wall so its east wall is flush third floor in the projecting south-west corner and a small with the tower east wall. Most of the original windows west chamber between the two stairwells with a slit look- have been replaced with large rectangular openings in the ing west. east wall probably dating to the 18th century. The north wall is largely original with some stone dressed slits. The The third floor which was supported on corbels has the west wall has a blocked opening with a two-centred arch same garderobe position but no fireplace. The stairs con- at first floor level thought to be the original door to this tinue up in the south-west and there is a west chamber block. There is a projecting stack on corbels in the north that extends to the north-west corner with slits to north wall like that in the tower north wall. The base of the north and west. parapet projects at higher level than the parapets on the There was a pitched roof and there are remnants of the east and west. There was no access and no evidence gable walls. There was parapet probably with crenellations visible from the exterior for this but the survey drawings but these have gone and the parapet wall only survives to and existence of crenellations imply there was probably a near full height on the north. The parapets of the tower pitched roof and wall walk as in the tower.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 34 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.04 Taaffe’s Castle

At the south east corner of the tower there are no lower former shoreline. Of importance for the economic and so- quoins but the remains of a bonded wall which projected cial history and late medieval development of Carlingford. to the south and, according to the Louth survey, contains The history of the house is virtually unknown but some evidence of an arch and wall walk. The evidence of the archaeological work has enhanced understanding of the arch is not now clear but the scar of the wall walk sup- construction and physical development. ported on stone voussoirs in the south tower wall is clear. This has been interpreted as the bawn wall of the castle Condition and as such it may by default have therefore played a part Poor, there are large cracks in the structure on the south, in the seashore defence of the town even if not part of a water damage and vegetation growing in the masonry. systematic municipal defence. Issues/vulnerability In the painting Carlingford Castle by Henry Brocas Senior There are several conservation issues/threats arising c. 1800 (cover of Gosling) there is a wall extending south from the current development work, inappropriate repairs from the south-east corner of the castle however there in unsympathetic materials and vegetation and water is no arch in this wall adjacent to the tower and Brocas damage and accumulation of rubbish within the structure. shows what appears to be an opening in the angle of Issues include: the corner immediately above the wall with some sort of • How should it be repaired/conserved corner projection above it. It might make sense to have an • How should it be used access opening or a defensive slit onto the wall walk but • How should it be interpreted/explained for visitors, if at all there is no clear evidence for this or the projection above - there is a heritage plaque at present on the south wall. it in the actual fabric although there is a large repair patch • Currently building work is taking place for night club or near this area. restaurant use. Local people have expressed opinions that this is an inappropriate use. A pencil drawing of Taaffe’s Castle from the North-East • Would the castle best be looked after in state care? in the collection of Ordnance Survey letters in the R.I.A., Dublin (reproduced in CLAHJ Vol. XII.2 1950) clearly shows the wall with arch at the south-east corner with a projecting machicolation over it. The drawing also shows two builds of wall of differing heights adjoining the build- ing to the north and a further section of wall with three openings beyond the arch to the south adjoining the gable end of another building.

Status Privately owned, not inhabited. Currently building work is being undertaken. SMR 5:28 (Buckley -County Louth Archaeological Inventory No. 1113) Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bradley)

Significance An iconic, commanding and prominent structure in the townscape comprising the almost complete shell of a late medieval urban tower house and extension on the

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 35 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.05 The Mint

Summary The masonry shell of a fortified urban tower house of three storeys forming a parallelogram in plan and incorporating part of an earlier structure in the east wall.

Historical Background Little historical information is known about The Mint. It is so named because it has been thought to be the site of a mint mentioned as being licensed in Carlingford in 1467. There is no evidence that the mint was in this building or indeed that a mint was ever actually established and produced coinage and the existing building may date from after 1467. above the top of the doorway. The door has a rough stone surround excepting for the lower north jamb which is of Description dressed chamfered jamb stones with punched geometric An urban tower house built of roughly coursed limestone designs. rubble and greywacke, a parallelogram in plan with an an- gled projection incorporating the garderobe at the south The floor of the second storey was carried on corbels end of the West wall (measuring internally 7.1 m by 6.1 set into the walls just above the level of the windows of m). It was three storeys high with crenellated parapet and the ground floor. Large beam holes can be seen above wall walk. The entrance is through a doorway at ground- the second-floor level, and were used to carry the roof. floor level at the South end of the East wall and there is a In the south-west corner there is a garderobe with a blocked door at the North end of the West wall. semicircular recess and the remains of seating lit by a slit in the west wall with an ogee-headed arch of limestone. There are three windows in the east wall ground floor with The chute for the garderobe can be seen at the base of hood mouldings and ogee-headed arches of smoothly- the south wall. dressed limestone. The spandrels are highly decorated with broad interlace, and also figures of a horse and the At ground-floor level in the west wall there is a recess bust of a man. In the east wall there are two double-light and a small window of hammer dressed limestone at windows with stone mullions and transoms at first-floor the south end and a blocked door at the north end. At level with window seats. The south one is blocked from first-floor level there is another window directly over that the outside and the north one has a hood moulding and on the ground floor with a two-centred arch of limestone pointed arched lights with interlace decoration. with glazing bar holes, and a flat-arched embrasure with single lintel plus window seats. Over the blocked doorway At the second-floor level there is a central window with there is a large window with a round arched head with a twin lights and two-stone rounded arches. with hood flat lintel and flat arch over. The North wall has only one moulding but no decoration. The jamb and sill stones on window, at second floor level and rectangular in shape. all the eastern windows are decorated with deep punch- marks, sometimes making geometrical designs, mostly of lozenge or wheel-like patterns.

There is a large machicolation, c.1.2 m wide, resting on double sandstone corbels directly over the doorway and extending down from the battlements to about 2 m

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 36 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.05 The Mint

There is a well-preserved, wide, wall-walk with stepped • Should the building be open to the public or used in crenellations and irregularly-spaced small openings in the some way? Could the building be roofed with a light- parapets, which Leask (1948, 307) interprets as pistol weight structure and used as an open exhibition space? loops and the Louth Survey considers were more likely • Interpretation: there is an information board inside which for muskets. The parapet is offset slightly with a base is visible through one of the east windows grilles but this course of greywacke slabs with drainage holes above as is not ideal. at Taaffe’s Castle. • Vegetation - not bad like the Taaffe’s castle but some plants are establishing themselves on the upper walls The south wall incorporates the pitched north gable wall of an earlier building. Elements of the east wall of the earlier building, including a blocked window with round moulded head and jambs and a blocked doorway with moulded jambs, are incorporated into a later building and are now exposed on Tholsel street. Possibly this southern building was the family’s previous house which was still in use when the tower was built onto its northern end.

Bradley considers that the style of the windows suggests a mid-to-late 16th century date for construction of the building.

Status National Monument in the care of the Office of Public Works. SMR 5:0203 (Buckley -County Louth Archaeo- logical Inventory No. 1112) Within the zone of archaeo- logical potential (Bradley)

Significance Less commanding than Taaffe’s Castle but a nonetheless important example of a late-medieval urban tower house. The Mint also incorporates elements of an earlier build- ing so represents adaptation and development within the townscape as well as perhaps a change in the economy and status of an individual or family.

Condition Generally good, there is some vegetation getting a hold on the upper walls.

Issues/vulnerability • Access: currently locked with a grating over the doorway, East and North walls are accessible. The South and West walls are within a locked private yard connected with the adventure centre.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 37 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.06 Historic Houses

Summary The Watch House is possibly the lower portion of a Tower House now a private dwelling and under no present threat of redevelop- ment. The ‘medieval house’ just behind it on the West side of Back Lane is a surviving gable wall, famous for a carved head, and part of a front wall of an ancient house with development currently taking place in immediate proximity. There is a probabil- ity that other houses in Carlingford contain medieval remains.

Historical Background This ‘Watch House’ is a private residence but once housed the local lifeboat and is thought to be the remaining lower part of a tower house such as Taaffe’s Castle or The Mint (Gosling 1992).

Description The Watch House stands towards the north end of Newry Street and is now rendered and painted with a pitched roof but has a much is later alteration. As a former lifeboat house and watch large arched double doorway in its East wall. The base of the East house it is obviously also of historical and social significance to wall has a pronounced batter and this and the arched doorway to the town and its maritime heritage. the basement are the only indications from the outside that it is not a standard house. The ruined house is significant as part of one of only two known surviving medieval or late medieval houses that are not fortified The ‘medieval house’ in Back Lane consists of a thick pitched towers in Carlingford. The other being incorporated within The south gable wall, which survives as it has later cottages built Mint and the building South of it (§1.05). Again the full signifi- against it to the south, and a small part of the upper East return cance of this structure is uncertain without further investigation and the full ground floor portion of the East wall to the street and and survey. a return West at the North end which may be the lower part of the North gable. The east wall has a doorway with a flat lintel at Condition the South end. The Watch House is a private house, lived in, well kept and in good order. No ancient fabric is visible as the building is rendered The house would have consisted of two main stories with a and painted. Whether the rendering and painting has affected pitched roof. The South gable wall is higher than the abutting the fabric is unknown. cottages and in the upper section on the north-east side is a carved stone human face famously known locally as ‘Charles de The ‘medieval house’ is a ruin and some of the upper stones of Gaulle’ probably because of a projecting slate and stone above, the gable and east return look a little precarious and perhaps protecting it from the elements and giving the appearance of the in need of consolidation to prevent any decay of the structure. crown and peak of a French kepi. The east face of the east wall is whitewashed but the gable is unpainted stone. Test trenching of the adjacent development site and a survey of the late medieval house, was carried out in 2005 (see Appendix Issues/vulnerability C No. 38) • There is currently new development occurring immediately north of the ruined house with scaffolding adjacent to the north Status wall which may be part of the medieval gable. A privately owned dwelling and a privately owned ruin. • There is heavy vegetation on the top of the South gable which Both structures have heritage plaques. may be loosening the stonework and some of the upper stone- Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bradley). work appears in need of stabilisation/consolidation. • This site may be under threat of development, some archaeo- Significance logical work has been undertaken in this area in advance of Urban tower houses are not as common as those in rural set- development and it is likely that some significant below ground tings so the Watch House is significant for this reason. Its full deposits survive in the vicinity of the ruined house. significance is uncertain because the interior has not been seen • The Watch House might look more in keeping with its historic and the exterior has been rendered and painted, therefore it is origins if without the present surface treatments but this is a not known what early or interesting features may survive in the conservation issue which would need expert advice and of course fabric and indeed how much of the early fabric survives and how discussion and cooperation with the owner.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 38 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.07 Holy Trinity Church

Summary The church is not described in the Louth archaeological A former church with a square tower built on a mound survey. The following description is from visual inspection south-east of the town centre. The church has a walled as part of the present study. churchyard which abuts the Tholsel and on the east side was adjacent to the former shoreline. The current nave is The building consists of a square west tower and rec- largely the result of rebuilding in 1804 but exhibits rem- tangular nave extending east from it, there is no distinct nants of earlier fabric. The tower is thought to be earlier in chancel section. origin and has a later extension to the parapet

Historical Background The church may be on an ancient ecclesiastical site, but there has been a church in Carlingford since at least 1237 when the churches of Carlingford and Rooksey are mentioned in a deed, their profits being granted by Hugh de Lacy to St Andrew’s church in Scotland. A church of the Holy Trinity existed in Carlingford in 1485, as testified by the will of Christopher Dowdall, who left a bequest to this and also to the church of St Mary and Chapel of St Michael. Supposing the former to be the present Holy Trinity the location of the latter two is uncertain. The status of these medieval places of worship is also unclear but it seems likely that the present Holy Trinity was the main par- ish church. There are numerous references to the church (and its tithes) in the late medieval Bishops’ registers of The nave has a pitched roof clad in slates and the walls Armagh. are rendered. There is a large round headed window in the east end with a dripmould and label stops. The window is The church was rebuilt in the late 17th century, and there divided into three pointed lights and glazed with modern was extensive rebuilding of the nave c1804 (Gosling ). stained glass. There are five regularly spaced pointed Half the tower has been rebuilt. Holy Trinity was a Church arched windows in either side, these have stone sills but of Ireland place of worship until the mid 1970s and was the surrounds are rendered like the walls. The windows leased by the Carlingford Lough Heritage Trust in 1991. have wooden frames and Y shaped wooden mullions bars imitating stone tracery and are glazed with small diamond Excavations during restoration for use as a Heritage panes. All these windows were probably inserted in the Centre in 1992 (licence no. 92E0037) uncovered burials c1804 restorations. The second window from the west in under the floorboards. Twenty inhumations were excavated the south wall cuts an earlier stone door surround which with no evidence of coffins and radiocarbon dates were has been left exposed. This has a chamfered two-centred obtained with ranges of AD 1517-1666 and 1442-1650. arch which Gosling dates to the 16th or 17th centuries Rescue excavation resulting from monitoring of sewage and but which looks earlier, being medieval and probably of the telecom scheme trenches in 1999 (licence no. 98E0161) 14th or 15th centuries. The church is currently entered by recovered four skeletons of young male adults with sword a round headed door in the south wall of the tower, the cuts to their skulls in beach gravel outside the east gate arch consists of numerous stone voussoirs. The doorway to the church, three in one cut and one in a single grave. is fitted with a later wooden frame and door, with a radially- These have been interpreted as Infantrymen cut down from glazed fanlight in the tympanum of the arch, all perhaps horseback in late medieval or early post-medieval conflict. dating from the c1804 works. Description

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 39 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.07 Holy Trinity Church

The tower is solidly constructed of random stone rubble Condition with dressed stone quoins. The lower wall on the south The fabric is in good condition having been converted to side is steeply battered (sloped) below the springing line use as a heritage centre and is in daily use and regularly of the door arch. The west wall has a horizontal offset maintained. about halfway up with dressed stone coping. The tower masonry shows clear indications of a substantial rebuild on Issues/vulnerability the west side. There are rectangular louvered belfry lights • The building is well maintained and used for heritage and in the south, north and west walls of the tower, possibly community purposes inserted later or remodelled, with straight heads and stone • At present there seems to be no serious issues or threats sills below earlier crude segmental stone arches. The east apart from possible below ground works on services which wall has a small early belfry light with a dressed stone sur- would need to be archaeologically monitored as previ- round with a cusped head. There is also a plain slit in the ously. west wall above the offset and below the belfry light. A • Lack of funding for the Heritage Trust would be a pos- crude string course marks the base of the original tower sible threat to the future of the building and its role in the parapet with drainage holes above. This is similar to the community and this should hopefully be supported by local arrangement seen at Taaffe’s Castle and the Dominican authority and/or other appropriate funding. friary but the parapet does not project. Above this is a later, projecting, crenellated parapet with a stone moulded plinth course. Each side has a central merlon with a slit and there are stepped corner pinnacles all being coped in dressed stone.

The earliest dated headstone in the graveyard is from 1703 but there are two earlier examples which may date to the 15th century. (Gleeson 1995)

Status Former church now run by Carlingford Lough Heritage Trust as Holy Trinity Heritage Centre which is open to the public with displays about local history,and is available for hire for weddings, concerts, small conferences etc. The fees from these events help keep it maintained, staffed and open for the public. The building has been leased by the Trust from the Church of Ireland since 1991. The church and tower are omitted from the archaeological survey of County Louth.

Significance This was probably the main medieval parish church and therefore highly significant to the history of the town. It is in a prominent location and good defensive position on a mound near the shoreline with a strong crenellated tower and a substantial churchyard wall that may have been part of, or may have augmented, the town defences.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 40 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.08 Dominican Friary

Summary dows are largely blocked, two have pointed arched heads Substantial ruins of the medieval Dominican Friary church the other has been altered to a flat arch. The south chancel and elements of the claustral buildings survive in the south- window has a flat arch, matching that on the north. east quarter of the town. The remains were conserved by the OPW in 1993 and are open to the public.

Historical Background The friary, dedicated to St Malachy, is thought probably to have been founded by Richard de Burgh or Burgo Earl of Ulster at around the time he acquired the castle in 1305. In 1423 an indulgence was granted to raise funds to repair damage to the church caused by robbers (Bradley quoting Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 223). The building was forti- fied at this time and battlements added to the church walls (site information board).

According to Tempest (1983) a merchant of Dundalk The tower is a later addition thought to be of the first half of named Scryne leased the friary after the dissolution but the fourteenth century. It is a standard friary tower, a narrow in 1552 it was granted Sir Nicholas Bagnall, Marshall of rectangle in plan, and has a stair turret in the south-east Ireland who lived in Carlingford before going to Newry. corner. The large tower arches are two-centred and the Tempest also states that in 1670 there was a contest pitch line of the roof is visible on the east and west tower between the Dominicans and Franciscans for the right to walls. The upper floors of the tower were accessed from take over the friary. The dispute was settled by Oliver Plun- the south range via a now blocked doorway in the south kett in favour of the Dominicans who later abandoned the wall of the tower. site in the 18th century when they moved to their present location in Dundalk. A detailed history of the Dominicans The nave has three high splayed windows with shallow in medieval and post-medieval Carlingford has been pub- segmental arches in the south wall, those in the north side lished (Curran 1968). have been blocked and replaced with similar lower open- ings. The outer face of the south wall of the nave has three The site was depicted by Grose (1791) who shows it in rows of putlog holes, the central row is immediately above much the same condition as it is today. a moulded stone string course. There is also a row of larger The Friary (a house of friars) is sometimes referred to as square holes below the string course which have been Carlingford Abbey, though technically as a friary ruled by a interpreted as beam holes for the cloister walk roof (Louth prior it should be called a Priory; to avoid confusion it will Archaeological Survey). The west gable wall of the nave be referred to as a Friary throughout this document. has a central doorway (previously blocked but now open) with a two centred arch with a moulded hood and label Description stops. Above this the west window has been blocked and The remains consist of the roofless nave and chancel the top of the pointed arch is visible in the outer face of the of the church with central tower and parts of what was wall. At the top of the wall is a central machicolation carried probably the domestic range to the south. The church is on two corbels. Either side of this are stepped crenellations constructed of roughly coursed limestone and greywacke. and then corner turrets also crenellated. These features of a defensive character are thought to be later additions The chancel has a large east window, three windows in the and may date from around 1423 when the indulgence was north wall and one in the south wall. The east window has granted to raise the money to repair damage done to the a two centred arch and no surviving tracery. The north win- church by robbers.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 41 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.08 Dominican Friary

The cloister lay on the south side of the church, and the north gable of the east range is visible on the chancel wall, and toothing for the west range on the nave. At the end of the east range, about 20m south of the church are remains incorporating two phases of building. On the west the ear- lier structure is the gabled south end of the cloister east range. This probably consisted of the dormitory range and the chapter house adjacent to the church. The footings of the demolished parts of the east and west walls of this range have also been exposed. The standing gable and walls are of similar rubble construction to the church and incorporate some similar shallow arched windows.

A later building is abutted to the east side of the earlier range and appears to be a defensive tower in style, and was possibly the Prior’s lodging. It has both rectangular win- dows and slits, fireplaces and window seats. The building appears from the floor beam sockets to be of three storeys with an upper string course and parapet with drainage holes. This structure is probably a later medieval addition which may date to the time of the defensive alterations to the church. Condition South and south-east of the ruins are the remains of a wa- The ruins have been conserved and landscaped, there is ter course and mill building which even if not incorporating public access to the site and an information board at the medieval material, are probably on the site of the medieval entrance. The conservation work was part-financed by the Friary mill (ß1.09). European Regional Development Fund. The condition of the surviving remains is very good fol- Status lowing the conservation and consolidation works, the site County Louth recorded monument No. LH005-04213. gives the appearance of being regularly maintained and The monument is in the care of the Commissioners of cared for. Public Works and freely open to the public. Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bradley) Issues/vulnerability • Recent paint graffiti on the east wall of the church and Significance adjacent boundary wall. Very significant standing remains of a Dominican Friary that • There is scope for more information boards or a plan to is important to the history of medieval Carlingford and the explain the layout. region but not historically or archaeologically understood in • Further historical research and archaeological survey may any depth. Excavations were undertaken in 1993 funded help provide better understanding and interpretation of this by the OPW in conjunction with the conservation works. site and its significance.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 42 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 1.09 The Water Mill

Summary The remains of a ruined mill building and waterwheel sur- vive east of the Friary. The ruins are probably on the site of the medieval mill belonging to the friary, if not remnants of the actual medieval mill building itself. The mill is thought to have been used to grind corn for the townspeople as well as for the Dominican community. It continued in op- eration into the 19th century, to which period the surviving cast-iron wheel rim dates.

Historical Background The Pipe Roll of King John for 1211-12 lists payments for a mill and mill-pond at Carlingford. If this refers to this mill, and the Friary was not founded until 1305 as thought, then the mill pre-dates the Friary. In 1540 the dissolution inventory of possessions of the Friary mentions the mill so it was at that time in the ownership of the religious house. The mill is thought to have been the Status only watermill in Carlingford in medieval times. It was prob- There is a heritage plaque affixed to the ruin but the site is ably operated by the Dominicans who would have charged not included in the Louth Archaeological survey multure for grinding non-monastic corn. The mill and mill pond are shown on the Ordnance Survey large scale town Significance plan. Significant as the site of the medieval mill associated with the Friary representing an industrial process of eco- Description nomic importance. Also possibly significant in terms of The remains of the mill are situated 50 m east of the Friary the relationship of the Friars to the townspeople and their church adjacent to a path and built into a slope, as is com- economic interaction. mon with watermills, to achieve the drop of water to power the wheel. The building is overgrown and roofless and Condition consists of a small, rectangular plan structure of random Ruinous and overgrown. stone rubble with large, roughly-squared quoins. The east and west walls have gables for a ridge roof. Adjacent to Issues/vulnerability the east gable is the half buried cast-iron rim of the wheel • Overgrown and subject to slight vandalism with forged grooves for the wooden buckets and wheel (paint daubed). spokes. • In private ownership. • The site could certainly be improved in terms of presenta- South of the Friary is the overgrown and recently infilled tion, preservation and interpretation. and remnant of the mill pond and adjacent to it a stone • The building has probably not been fully recorded. lined channel where a stream still runs for part of the • Archaeological investigation may determine the age length, fed by the stream and culvert coming from under of the present fabric and the position and layout of the the road to the west. medieval mill.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 43 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.01 Site of North Gate

Summary There would have been a north gate to the town giving access to the northern shore of the Lough and the route to Omeath and Newry. Archaeological excavations in 1998 revealed evidence of a substantial wall with a gateway and road and defensive ditch.

Historical Background Isaac Butler, in his journal for 1744, recorded the following information regarding the defences of Carlingford, ‘...it has been walled, the West and North gate with some of the wall remain still.’ There is no reference to the North gate on the 1835 OS manuscript or printed maps but this is There was a cobbled gateway running through the wall not a reliable guide as to its survival at that time. The Town with a line of large boulders along its eastern edge. A walls are not referred to on the maps either and the line north-to-south stone and clay wall 6.5 m long, 1.5 m wide of the wall, including the upstanding sections which may at the base and 1 m wide at the top, (height not specified), have been more extensive then and are not differentiated, overlay the boulders and abutted the masonry wall. (which is marked with a line like all the property boundaries. side of town wall not specified).

Description The pottery finds from the ditch suggested a 13th or 14th There are no known standing remains. century date for the ditch infilling and the wall and gateway The precise line of the wall is not certain at the north end may be of around the same date as deposits containing of the town but it has been generally presumed to link with similar pottery lay against the southern side of the wall. the castle defences and run almost directly west from the castle. Gosling had previously postulated that the site of Status the gate was at the top of Newry Street where the road Buried remains. bends to the west and archaeological investigation ap- Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bradley) pears to have confirmed this. Significance Test-trenching in 1998 at the top of Newry Street uncov- The buried remains revealed by excavation are of consider- ered a 3.5 m wide east-to-west ditch cut into the natural able significance in showing the existence and position gravel and a later wall and gateway. The wall which was 0.1 of a northern wall, ditch, gate and roadway and imply that m below the existing road consisted of stone bonded with there is great potential for further archaeological survival of lime mortar and was set on large stone footings. The wall elements of the medieval defences. had an intact height of 2.2 m and a width of 1-1.05 m at its top. The gateway through the wall was 2.15 m in width. Condition A set of steps were set into the south side of the wall and Now backfilled and beneath road. these may have led to a wall walk or upper room. In the eastern portion of wall was a relieving arch, 0.65 m below Issues/vulnerability the top of the wall and 1.45 m in width and height, which • Buried site, could be at risk from future developments or the excavator thought may have been constructed to allow roadworks. the flow of spring water. • Possibly some interpretation should mark the site.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 44 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.02 Line of North Wall

Summary rubble and the base of a wall 0.70 m wide. However these Previously the line of the north wall had been uncertain but are probably later property boundary walls outside the archaeological excavations in 1998 revealed evidence of medieval wall circuit. a substantial wall with a gateway and road and defensive ditch at the top of Newry Street.

Historical Background There are no known specific historical references to the northern wall circuit, but it is shown on early maps.

Description There are no standing remains, however evidence of the town wall, with a gateway and ditch, was uncovered in Status 1998 on the east side of the town at the top of Newry Below ground archaeological remains. Street about 50 m east of the castle (see 2.01 above for Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bradley) fuller description). If the north circuit originally ran fairly directly west from the Castle to the known line of the west Significance wall it would be approximately 150 m in length. Below ground remains of considerable significance and archaeological deposits which have given evidence for the There is no further evidence of the rest of the northern form and dating of part of the northern defences including circuit. East of the excavation the former railway (now road) the wall with gateway and extramural ditch and other as- cutting has removed all evidence and to the west the line sociated structures and deposits. of the wall, and any buried remains, lie under later houses and street surfaces. Condition The excavated remains are now backfilled and beneath However if the wall continued on the line of the excavated the road. The survival of these implies good potential for section its west end would be situated in the near vicinity of survival of the rest of the north defences and associated the boundary between the property known as Georgina’s archaeological deposits below ground. Bakehouse and a new development to the north. It has been reported that an old substantial stone wall on this Issues/vulnerability boundary was unfortunately demolished during the devel- • The survival of a 2.2 m high wall below ground here has opment because it was considered unsafe (pers. comm. implications for the possible survival of substantial sections Georgina Finegan, Fergus Flynn Rogers) and it has been of the wall on other parts of the north circuit and else- replaced with a plain breeze block wall. This wall is 25 m where. north of the best surviving section of defensive wall on the • The below ground remains could be at risk from future west circuit. developments and roadworks unless specifically protected (and marked out on site). Another former boundary wall roughly parallel to the • Some garden and property walls in this area which may demolished wall and about 20m to the north has also be related to the line of the Town Wall have been removed been removed above ground (pers. comm. GF). Two stone without being recorded due to property development and boundary walls still survive approximately 10 m and 20 landscaping of gardens etc. There appears to be little m north of this, the northern one is broken at its western protection for these structures which may also be of some end where it adjoins a lane and appears to have originally age and significance in themselves and constitute part of continued on the west side of the lane and around the side the vernacular character of Carlingford regardless of pos- and back of the new development where there is much sible connection with the defensive circuit.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 45 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.03 Western Wall: North End

Summary continues for over 2 m (at the north end) to ground level The best surviving run of wall is a 26m length of two abut- with 2 or 3 lesser irregular offsets. If the west face of the ting builds, situated at the north end of the west defensive wall continues below ground without offsets the wall would circuit. Here the stone rubble wall survives to full height with be about 1.5 m thick at inner ground level. four musket loops. On the west side a hardcore trackway has recently been created at the foot of the sloping grazing meadows and any trace of the former extramural ditch has gone. On the east side the wall revetts a steep bank mark- ing the west boundary of the gardens of properties along Back Lane.

Historical Background In 1326 Edward II granted a charter to the Bailiffs of Carlingford to levy murage for the building of a town wall. The surviving wall has small double splayed openings which have been interpreted as musket loops suggesting that this section of wall is 15th century or later in date (Gosling 1992). Early maps, possibly fanciful, show the north and west walls meeting with a tower (e.g. Norden 1610).

Description Both ends of the surviving fragment are roughly broken The main surviving fragment of full height town wall is showing the wall once continued in both directions. There located towards the northern end of the western wall line. are two separate builds represented in this wall. Approxi- It currently forms the boundary between the gardens of mately 6m from the southern end is a straight joint and slight three properties off Back Lane on the east side and the offset. The 20m northern section of wall has large quoins pasture land sloping up towards Slieve Foye to the west. at this end and is offset slightly to the west. The southern A track-way with a steep bank on the west has recently section (c. five metres long) does not have quoins on the been formed along the west side of the wall and this may west side and appears to be later, having been built against have removed any evidence of an extramural ditch as seen the existing terminus of the northern section. elsewhere. The wall contains four double-splayed embrasures which The structure is approximately 26m long and 2.0m to 2.7m have been interpreted as musket loops. Three are in the high on its exterior (west facing) elevation from current northern build and one in the southern section. They are ground level and about 4m high on the inner (east) face. from 5-6m apart and about 1m above current ground level The upper part of the wall is from 0.7 to 0.8m thick. on the west. They are about 0.35m high and wide in the west face of the wall and the sides splay in below small The wall is constructed of rough uncoursed stone rubble slab lintels to narrow openings about 0.15 m wide within containing several differing types of stone bonded with lime the wall. mortar and roughly dressed to form a face. The top of the wall is coped with a ridge consisting of similar rubble to the The construction method of the wall gives little clue to its main structure. The west face of the wall below the ridge age, however the loops do appear to have been constructed is flush down to ground level and the east side is flush for musket use and probably therefore date from the time below the ridge down to a 0.3 m offset step or parapet when muskets were relatively commonly available and walk, 1.9 m below the top of the wall. Below this main step enough existed in Carlingford to form a viable defensive which extends along the length of the surviving wall the wall force (i.e. 16th-17th century).

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 46 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.03 Western Wall: North End

Status Recorded Monument LH005-04201-Town Defences SMR 5:0204. Archaeological Inventory of County Louth No.1167. Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bradley)

Significance This stretch is of considerable significant as the main and best full height surviving section of town wall and the only section known to have musket loops. This represents the main evidence for the appearance of the medieval walls and arrangement of the defences. This length of wall is also of significance for standing directly next to open countryside, and expressing a relationship rarely now to be seen in medieval towns.

Condition The Condition of the wall is generally good although some repointing has occurred. Apparently the wall was repaired as part of the FAS scheme about nine years ago (pers. comm. Ann Hrugh). There are frequent patches of lichen on the stones on the west face of the wall and some vegetation • Access to this stretch of wall for locals and visitors is an is- rooting into crevices in the stones particularly in the cop- sue if it is desired for it to become a more prominent feature ing at the north end. On the east side the wall fabric is not of any tourist/ heritage walk or tour because it is on private particularly affected by gardening activities. The end of the land on both sides. garden at the north is largely left alone but the wall is free • If it is to be more accessible then provision of information of vegetation excepting a large established tree which has and presentation of the site needs to be addressed. partly grown over the foot of the wall but does not appear to • The owner of the land to the west stated that he was caused any disturbance to the wall fabric itself. amenable to discussion about public access to the wall and although he had not yet replaced the gate to the lane The central garden is more neglected and overgrown near behind the wall, was considering adding a stile when he the wall and there is vegetation growing along the main does and possibly a seat to make it into a small amenity offset. The wall in the south end garden is kept free of veg- area. etation and the residents plan to deck the area adjacent to • The residents of the two properties visited east of the wall the wall as this gives a fine view over the town and harbour expressed no concern if access was open to the west side but do not envisage this affecting the historic fabric. of the wall. • It is extremely unlikely at present that if the area behind the Issues/vulnerability wall was openly accessible that visitor numbers would be • The current adjacent residents respect the wall and their large enough to constitute any threat to the wall fabric. activities do not appear to have affected it adversely; how- • The condition of the wall and repair of any loose masonry ever future change in use or ownership and residents could could become a health and safety issue if the wall is to be potentially affect the condition of the wall. openly accessible. • The re-scarping of the land on the west to form a track • The roots of shrubby vegetation could penetrate into the and embankment has been deleterious to the setting of the gaps between stones, loosening the mortar and gradually wall and its historic relationship to the mountainside. weakening the structure, if not removed or controlled.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 47 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.04 Western Wall: North of Spout Gate

Summary A 250 m long stretch of the western wall between the site of Spout Gate on River Lane and the standing wall (ß2.03). This incorporates several different elements, including a five metre long fragment of standing wall, three metres in height. Other sections include overgrown surviving masonry up to one metre high, a line of rubble along the hedge line, a hedge line with no wall evidence and an enclosure or extension to the west built of stone probably reused from the town wall.

Historical Background In 1326 Edward II granted a charter to the Bailiffs of Car- lingford to levy murage for the building of a town wall. A wall round the town is shown on early maps.

Description Between the south end of the best surviving wall fragment (ß2.03) and the site of Spout Gate (ß2.05) is a 250 m long stretch of the west wall circuit with remnants of surviving masonry and a steep bank marking the division between [B] The next property to the south has a 25 m frontage private gardens to the east and pastureland to the west. All where the wall has been removed and the bank sloped from the land adjacent to the west side of the of the wall, north of the field into the garden. The wall here had been rebuilt at River Lane, is in the same hands and there is one modern either end of the property projecting into the field at right dwelling west of the wall here. angles to the wall line and then returning to create a small terraced area. This is shown on the 1836 OS map as the The wall line can be divided into sub-sections largely cor- site of a track or roadway running from the pasture onto responding to the plots to the east and partially reflecting the plot and down to Back Lane. The wall was therefore the treatment of the wall remains by different owners and dismantled and realigned to allow for a trackway by 1836. developments over the years. These sub-sections have The track no longer exists and there is a wire fence in place; been given letters and these are marked on the plan show- the terrace remains have recently been landscaped and ing the location of gazetteer items. removed.

[A] Immediately south of the standing wall (ß2.03) are two [C] The next two properties are narrow and have a com- modern properties with a total boundary to the wall of about bined frontage to the wall line of c30 m. Both boundaries 50 m. Along most of this section there is no wall upstanding are overgrown with brambles and have a drop of one metre from ground level on the west, but there is a steep drop to to the east, there is a single course of stones visible to the the east of one to two metres, which probably consists of south end of this stretch of wall line. the lower revetting part of the wall, but this was overgrown and not seen from the east. Some odd stones were visible [D] Next is a new development of five blocks (unfinished and and for a stretch of 15 m near the north end there was uninhabited at the time of inspection) with a 50 m bound- surviving wall remnants up to 0.7m high from ground level ary to the wall line. East of the line of the wall the slope has on the west. The masonry was overgrown with ivy and the been planted and landscaped as part of the development; rest of the section with bramble and thorn. This section has there are some remnants of masonry visible and some well been scarped externally to make the road.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 48 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.04 Western Wall: North of Spout Gate established hedgerow trees. The land slopes down below medieval wall similar to the long section further north but the wall line to a drop into the back yards of the properties without the drop and offset on the east side. which have access steps to the slope. The realigned section shows the subsequent use and reuse [E] Next to the south is a modern dwelling on an L-shaped of the wall in relation to the changing needs, agricultural plot with a long c85 m boundary to the west reaching down rather than the defensive, of the community in the post- to River Lane. The first 40 m has a thorn hedge with up medieval period. to 0.5 m high masonry below it. There is a drop of about one metre to the east for 30 m then the land on the west Condition slopes down steeply and south of this the land either side The surviving masonry toward the south end is extremely of the wall is roughly on the same level. In the centre of this overgrown and almost completely hidden beneath foliage stretch is a five metre long fragment of standing wall about and its condition could only be fully assessed with some three metres high and 0.7 m thick, this appears similar to vegetation clearance. the upstanding wall to the north and is probably a remnant Further north there is just a line of rubble along the hedge of the late medieval town wall. It is covered in ivy and impos- line. sible to investigate closely for evidence of gun loops etc., and was not viewed from the east side which is occupied Issues/vulnerability by a private garden. • Vegetation covering the southern part of the wall is prob- ably causing loosening and deterioration of the masonry [F] From this point the wall curves slightly to the east. A and is obscuring the actual condition and nature of the stone rubble wall about one metre high abuts the south end surviving structure. of the high fragment and is therefore later, perhaps a rebuilt • Recent landscaping of the stream from the mountain boundary on the line of the defensive wall. This masonry adjacent to southern end of section. continues towards River Street with an offset 23 m from the • The land west of the whole section is in the hands of one road showing there are at least two phases of this section, owner who is a member of Carlingford Lough Heritage but as elsewhere the surviving fabric is highly overgrown Trust and is amenable to discussing policies for access, and largely obscured by ivy and other vegetation so detailed presentation etc. assessment and interpretation was not possible. This run • The sections reduced almost to a line of rubble are vulner- ends just a few metres north of River Lane and there is able and probably being continually eroded by the removal possibly a pier or higher section of wall at this end but it is of the odd stone for use in garden landscaping especially in totally obscured by vegetation. the vicinity of new developments. • The threat of further future development as the town Status expands west of the wall line and also as properties along Recorded Monument LH005-04201-Town Defences Back Lane are extended or redeveloped. SMR 5:0204. Archaeological Inventory of County Louth • Vulnerability to the actions of owners/residents e.g, land- No.1167. Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bra- scaping gardens, terracing etc. dley). Land to either side is privately owned, ownership of surviving fabric not known.

Significance The whole section is of considerable significance as containing remnants of town wall and later boundary wall on the line of the town wall. The short standing section three metres in height is probably a surviving section of late

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 49 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.05 Site of Spout Gate (River Lane)

Summary The site on River Lane of the western gate of the walled town, which gave access to the grazing lands on the lower slopes of Slieve Foye. It derived its name from the mountain stream which enters the town here. Nothing survives of the gate itself above ground but the stream still flows through a stone culvert under River Lane in line with wall remnants to the north and south marking this as almost certainly the site of the historic gate described in 1744.

Historical Background The gate was mentioned by Isaac Butler in 1744 and he described how it took its name from a small arch where ‘..runs a stream of water from the mountain’. Gosling (1992) states that it was apparently still intact in 1818 (but does not give the source of this information) and that it is not marked on the 1836 OS map. Status The town sheep dip was formerly against the town wall Within the Carlingford zone of archaeological potential immediately south of the gate, and to the west there was (Bradley). The site is marked by a heritage plaque on a cot- a later gate across the road of which the north pier survives tage on River Street near the presumed site of the gate. in an existing wall and the south pier has been removed sometime since c. 1900 (when both were shown in a print). Significance This secondary gate, possibly in conjunction with adjoining Of moderate significance as the site of a Town Gate that walls, probably served to hold the sheep gathered in from has a historical reference and of which below ground re- the pastures for the annual sheep dipping (pers. comm. Ian mains may survive. The site is located by the presence of McQuillan and Owen Woods). wall fragments to north and south and the historic culvert carrying the road over the stream. This gate gave access Description to the pasture slopes on the foothills of Slieve Foye and The stream from the mountain runs down a slope from the was the location of the town sheep dip and thus had an north where it has been recently been piped and landscaped economic and social significance, as well as a defensive with a surface overflow channel. The water issues at the function. base of the slope then flows through a rough voussoired stone arch under River Lane issuing further east on the Condition south side to run alongside the road down to the market There are no upstanding remains of the gate. square. There is a small rendered cottage on the north side of the road and on the south side a short low piece of later Issues/vulnerability stone wall adjoining the remnant of the town wall which • There is new development currently being undertaken to continues to the south. There are new housing develop- either side of the road immediately west of the gate site, ments in progress north and south of the road west of the contractors’ vehicles and increased traffic may be a threat line of the town wall and site of the gate. to any possible archaeological remains. • Road works and service trenches relating to the hous- There is no evidence of the gate itself but the culvert under ing developments may also impact on any below ground the road is probably the onementioned by Butler in 1744. remains.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 50 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.06 Western Wall: South of Spout Gate

Summary The line of the wall continues south of River Street south south-east, with a possible ditch, for about 230m before appearing to curve to the east to join Dundalk Street op- posite the Friary ruins.

Historical Background & Description [A] The first 110 m of wall line South of River Lane is highly overgrown with brambles, ivy and rough foliage but there appears to be the base of wall masonry upstanding to 0.5m or so along most of this stretch.

There is a road for a new housing development west of the Status wall with a few metres of rough ground between it and the Recorded Monument LH005-04201-Town Defences SMR wall then there is a slope down to the wall which becomes 5:0204. Buckley AICL No.1167. Within the Carlingford steeper and deeper further south. In places there appears zone of archaeological potential (Bradley) to be a depression immediately west of the wall which may represent the remnant of an extramural defensive ditch. The Significance slope of the land may be partly enhanced by the ditch and The northern part of this section is of considerable sig- partly by terracing for a former house and for the road and nificance as containing remnants of town wall and possible present housing development. surviving evidence of the defensive extramural ditch, the rest of the section is similarly significant in having various Some builders’ equipment and debris was deposited in this levels of surviving masonry which may relate to phases of area at the time of inspection. The developer stated that the town wall or later property boundaries on the line of the area would be tidied up and that a strip along the wall was town wall. reserved for access as a planning condition. The former stone built sheep dip is situated against the wall line im- Condition mediately south of River Lane but this was overgrown and The masonry is currently, almost completely overgrown with within the builders’ compound at the time of inspection. rough vegetation, including quite large trees, shrubs, ivy and brambles, making it very difficult to ascertain the nature There is a drop of one metre or more on the east side of the and condition of the masonry. The roots of the encroach- wall line, the first 25 m on this side is at the back of a yard ing vegetation must have penetrated and loosened the belonging to the Victualler’s shop in the Market Square. The masonry and will continue to do damage unless controlled rest of this section is adjacent on the east side to a new or removed. development and then a council estate (Trinity Close). In both cases a fence or block wall runs about 3m east of the Issues/vulnerability wall and separates it off from the yards and gardens. • The vegetation covering the wall is obscuring and damag- ing the surviving masonry. [B] The next section of wall was not accessed from the west • At the time of inspection the external (west) side of the because it was fenced-off and landowners have not been north part of this stretch was a building site and builders’ identified or approached. equipment and materials had been placed near to parts of the wall and there was risk of spoil from the site being [C] From the east a 1m high stone wall was visible behind dumped near the wall and filling in the remnants of the the health centre off Trinity Close. extramural ditch.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 51 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.07 Possible (Northern) Line of South Wall

Summary This is the possible line of the South wall, west of Dundalk Street as posited by Bradley (Urban Archaeology Survey) which would continue the line of the south churchyard wall westwards to form a complete south circuit. This appears to be largely hypothetical with no confirmed surviving fabric above ground or below ground investigation to support it, though its fits the urban topography and disposition of tenements shown on early maps. Some existing walls near this line may however contain early or reused material.

Historical Background An old view of the wall looking west from behind what is now St Oliver’s Estate and Trinity Close does appear to show a possible change in build in the west wall at this point but this has not yet been examined closely in the field. Some documentary evidence may suggest that the western wall south of this line was a friary enclosure. In which case it is possible that an earlier south town wall line would exist and that the town defences may have been later extended by incorporating the wall around the friary enclosure west of Dundalk Street and a wall around the main friary site east of the street.

Description stone from former nearby structures and it might possibly This possible wall line lies beneath the Health Centre be on the line of a former wall. The terrace might though be and the entrance to Trinity Close. If there was a wall here modern and result from levelling for the construction of the it implies that there would have been a South Gate on modern estates and this process may have removed any Dundalk Street where this line and the projected line of the former upstanding evidence of the town wall if it existed in churchyard wall meet the road. this area.

On the north side of the east end of Trinity Close, there Status is a short low section of old rubble walling along the road Within the Carlingford zone of archaeological potential verge which returns north at its western end. This is part of (Bradley). a property boundary which at its east end is on Bradley’s putative wall line but runs west at an acute angle to that Significance line. This area is of uncertain significance until further investiga- tion confirms the presence or absence of evidence for a The south boundary of the Trinity Close estate dividing it wall and possible South Gate. from St Oliver’s estate consists of a low terrace revetted with a dry rubble wall, on the north side, and a modern mesh Condition fence. The line of this is parallel to and a short distance Issues/vulnerability south of the putative wall line. The revetting wall looks like a • Further investigation would be necessary to uncover modern construction but is probably made of reused evidence for this putative wall line.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 52 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.08 South-West Wall

Summary This curving section may have been a separate phase or possibly associated with the Dominican Friary, but this is not known for certain, it includes a three metres high upstand- ing section of old stone wall. Gosling (1992) and Bradley do not define the line of the wall in this area but indicate the town wall as returning east (section 2.07) before the beginning of this section.

Historical Background There is some evidence that there was a secondary or outer circuit of walls on the south side of the town. A plan [B] South of this a three metre high section of wall was on a lease of a property belonging to Christ Church, Dublin seen behind No 11 St Olivers Estate (which is a council indicates part of the southern wall of the close opposite owned house). This extended behind the gardens of most the Dominican Friary as ‘Town Wall’ [NLI, Plans]. Unless of the row (Nos. 11-16) but was largely covered in ivy. The this was misplaced antiquarian enthusiasm, it may reflect a south end was simply broken off, the top of the wall was genuine local tradition that the close (presumably an outer overgrown so could not be compared with the standing precinct of the priory) formed part of the defences. wall to the north. The construction of random rubble and the height and thickness of the wall are similar to the other An old postcard view of the wall in this area looking west sections of high standing wall. from behind what is now St Oliver’s Estate and Trinity Close does appear to show that the higher section to the south Here the ground level on the west is slightly lower than the is a different phase to the rest. This may be a later phase of east. West of the wall the land was unused and neglected Town Wall or may relate to land held by the Friary, an inven- with rubbish tipped against the wall (tipped from the east tory of 1540 (White 1943) mentions ‘A park or close’ of 1_ side) and the wall was ivy covered. No loopholes were seen acres in addition to the main precinct of the same size. (N.B. in this section but it was so overgrown with clinging ivy that customary acres varied greatly depending on local usage). detailed assessment was impossible.

Description [C] Between the south end of the upstanding fragment and This section has been divided into several sub-section for the adjacent roadway a low bank and hedge marked the ease of description and interpretation starting at the north wall line. end. [D] On the south side of the estate road the curving prop- [A] From the east a one metre high stone wall was visible erty boundary that may represent the old wall line was not behind the health centre off Trinity Close and this seemed accessible but the northern part of it seen from the road to continue with little differentiation from the last part of the consisted of stone rubble construction and was around two previous section but was heavily covered in vegetation. If metres in height. the town wall had returned east at this point and the south- west wall was connected with the Friary a change in build [E] The south section could not be examined closely but would be expected as seen on the postcard, but closer garden walls on this line were not of great height and ap- investigation would be needed to reveal this and the wall peared to be rendered, whether the render covered any old may of course have been rebuilt. fabric is unknown.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 53 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.08 South-West Wall

Status Issues/vulnerability Recorded Monument LH005-04201-Town Defences • The vegetation covering the wall is obscuring and damag- SMR 5:0204. Buckley AICL No.1167 ing the surviving masonry. • Rubbish is being dumped against the south west end Significance of the high upstanding fragment. Other parts of this frag- The full height fragment is of considerable significance as a ment constitute garden walls which may be susceptible to possible surviving late medieval boundary wall or defensive adverse management practices. wall. The entire section may be a later extension of the • Closer investigation of the upstanding section is required defensive circuit and may have enclosed Town or perhaps to ascertain its nature and whether it has any defensive Friary property. loops like the northern section. Inspection of the rest of the section is necessary to establish the nature of the existing Condition boundary walls on this line. The full height masonry at the north end was at the time • If the wall did curve round to Dundalk Street opposite the of inspection almost completely overgrown with rough Friary there may have been a South Gate of some form in vegetation including quite large trees and shrubs and ivy this area. and brambles making it very difficult to ascertain the nature and condition of the masonry. The roots of the encroach- ing vegetation must have penetrated and loosened the masonry and will continue to do damage unless controlled or removed.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 54 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.09 Line of Friary Walls

Summary The town defences may here have been supplied by the Friary precinct. The Friary ruins occupy the area east of Dundalk Street and south of the churchyard therefore it is likely that there may have been no town wall as such in this quadrant and the defensive circuit would have used the Friary precinct wall in the same way that the churchyard wall possibly fulfilled this function immediately to the north.

Historical Background The description of the house from an inventory of 1540 (White 1943, 245) implies that there was a defensive circuit to the monastic precinct, “The house is a strong mansion needing no expenditure on repairs, but on every side strongly fortified, and will be a very sure defence for the town in case of attack through rebellions of those living close by.”

Description There appear to be no definitely identified standing remains of the Friary wall but archaeological testing may have located it in one area. There was probably a wall along the east side of Dundalk Street separating the Friary precinct from the Archaeological testing on Dundalk Street in 2005 revealed street, and this would probably have returned east along a Medieval wall which is thought to be the boundary of Church Street opposite the churchyard wall and at some the Friary. Unfortunately the report and exact location of the point returned south, possibly opposite the south-east wall found are not yet available (see Appendix C, No. 36). corner of the churchyard. The wall may then have returned again somewhere in the vicinity of the Mill and possibly Status followed the north side of the Mill pond back to Dundalk Possible below ground remains. Street. Significance There are some property boundary walls north-east of the Survival of below ground remains is of considerable signifi- Friary which may be on the line of , or even contain fabric cance and implies good potential for further archaeological relating to, the historic friary walls but further investigation survival of friary walls and other structures. would be required to understand this area. Issues/vulnerability If the road south of the church and north of the Friary • Opportunities for further archaeological investigation could (Church Lane) existed in medieval times which seems likely be sought and field and historical research undertaken to it would therefore constitute another entrance into the Town uncover more evidence for the friary defences or other which may have had a gate structure of some sort. historic walls in this area.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 55 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.10 Churchyard Walls

Summary The walls which form the south and east churchyard bound- ary may have been part of the town’s defensive circuit. They are of two main phases, the lower build being wide and substantial enough to have been have part of the town wall. The north wall appears to be a revetting wall where the town development has cut into the hill on which the church is built, however this wall is bonded into the Tholsel and is abutted by the east wall. This may therefore represent an earlier circuit which did not encompass the church.

Historical Background There are no known specific historical references to this The east and south wall is of random uncoursed rubble section of wall. The drawing of Carlingford on the 1624 about 3m high. The upper metre or so is a later addition map implies the existence of a complete landward defen- in darker stone. On the south side the lower part appears sive circuit and also appears to show a defensive wall on to be of one phase, on the east the lower part, in places, the shoreline with a tower at the south-east corner of the appears to be of two phases with a straight joint between, defences. This sketch shows two buildings with crosses but the two phases are of similar height, build and material. immediately south and south-east of the town and if these There is also a long stretch covered in later render on the (as is thought) represent the Dominican Friary and a ruined east face of the wall, north of the east gate. chapel then the church is presumably within the walls. How- ever this is a schematic representation of limited value. The walls curve in towards the openings and both have later square stone gate piers with flat capping, the south gate Description piers look very recent. On the south entrance, particularly on There are walls on all sides of the churchyard, those on the the east side, the lower stretch of wall curving in to the gate south and east comprise the main outer wall fronting onto looks as though it may be a later addition or rebuild. the road with the two main gates to the churchyard, one From the interior it can be seen that there is a deep offset on the east and one on the south. The east wall appears of c.0.3-0.4m between the lower and upper phases on the to abut the north wall which is between the churchyard and south wall and a similar but slightly narrower offset on the the town and acts as a revetting wall with a much higher east. This implies that the lower phase is a very substantial ground level on the churchyard side. and relatively earlier wall that could be a candidate for hav- ing been part of the medieval town defences at one time. The north wall extends west from the south-west corner of the Tholsel and the lower part of it is bonded to the Tholsel No gun loops or slits were seen in the east or south church- fabric and possibly contemporary. The east wall abuts the yard walls, the north and west walls which comprise garden north wall just a metre or so west of the Tholsel. and property boundaries were not fully accessed on their north and west faces. The churchyard is higher than the road on the east and south as well but the differential is not as great as on the The north end of the west side of the churchyard south of the north and west. The land rises steeply to the church itself church, is defined by the rear wall of the former D’Arcy grain which appears to be built on a natural rise but the height store now the Kingfisher Bistro which is mainly of c.18th of the churchyard in places near the walls must have been century date. This abuts the west churchyard wall which is augmented by the burials, so the differential in height may about 1.5m high on the churchyard side with an offset near have been less when the walls were first built. the top similar to that on the south but not so deep. Built

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 56 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.10 Churchyard Walls up on the north end of this wall is the east wall of a former Significance lean-to structure that abutted the ‘grain store’. On the west Further investigation is probably needed to understand side a section of wall is visible just south of the grain store the date and phasing and full significance of the various and it is about 4m high on this side, consisting of random elements of the churchyard walls. Possibly of considerable uncoursed rubble. There is a stone corbel projecting in the significance if the lower portions are remnants of a medieval section below the wall of the former lean-to which contains defensive circuit . a blocked former opening in its gable. Condition The south end of this wall is abutted on its west side by Generally good, in good repair with no major problems or the wall of a small building fronting on to the road. This wall issues in the elements seen. contains four slit windows and is of coursed rubble, it is different in character to the early walls seen and although it Issues/vulnerability may be on the line of a former defensive wall it appears to • The south and east walls are probably safe as they are the have been constructed as a small barn wall with ventilation under auspices of the church and the Carlingford Lough slits and not adapted from a different former function. The Heritage Trust who use the church. Elements of the north west churchyard wall forms the east wall of this building and and west walls, facing private property that has not been has been heightened for the purpose with the addition of a accessed, may be at risk. single slit like those in the adjoining wall. • The rendered section of east face of east wall may be Status considered to be detracting from the appearance of the Uncertain, possibly a recorded monument if considered part rest of the wall and may unwittingly be causing damage to of the town defences but possibly not protected. the fabric beneath. Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bradley).

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 57 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.11 The Tholsel

Summary Gatehouse at South-east edge of town giving access to the main street where the town wall adjoined the churchyard adjacent to the former shoreline. The name implies it was used to collect tolls, possibly murage. The structure has two storeys with a single chamber over the gate with a modern pitched roof and a small chamber on the ground floor, east of the gate arch. The openings have iron grates and there is no public access at present.

Historical Background The name Tholsel is not uncommon in Ireland and refers to A rectangular gatehouse built of limestone and greywacke a structure where tolls or customs dues were collected but rubble, roughly coursed, with dressed stone quoins. It has a these are generally found in market places in the centres of flattened barrel-vaulted entranceway with a segmental arch towns (Gosling 1992, 62). The Tholsel in Carlingford is a of small greywacke slabs and keystone. It is thought to have gatehouse in form but may well have been used for the col- been originally of three storeys possibly with a crenellated lection of customs on goods or tolls on people entering the parapet but the third storey has gone and a modern slate town. There is documentary evidence of murage tolls being covered pitched roof spans the first floor chamber. levied in Carlingford from as early as 1326 and they may have been collected here and at the other gates. However There is a small rectangular barrel-vaulted chamber at the name itself may have been conferred at a later date ground level (c. 1.5 m by 3m) east of the gate arch with a flat with no genuine historic basis. Gosling queries the name arched door on the north under the steps to the first floor. but also claims that the gate warden’s duties would include The first-floor level is reached by the steps built against a collecting taxes on goods entering the town. wall extending north from the north-east corner which lead to a doorway at the east end of the north wall. The original It is presumed by various authors that the structure was access to this level is thought to have been from a spiral of at least three storeys with a crenellated parapet and a stairwell, part of which was discernible to the Louth Survey reconstruction drawing on these lines is exhibited in the just above the entrance to the small rectangular chamber Heritage Centre. However there seems to be no specific but was not clear on recent inspection. historic evidence for the former appearance of the building. The present roof structure was possibly provided by Lord The upper portion of the north-east corner has clearly Anglesey in the early 19th century. been rebuilt and an early window head inserted. The north wall has an upper opening with a two-centred arch which The building is said to have been used as the Sessions is thought to be a later alteration with no original dressed House in the 17th century where the sovereign and stone remaining. The south wall also has an opening with burgesses met. Local tradition also claims (somewhat a two-centred arch, but it has an original window jamb on improbably) that a parliament met here and made laws for its west side of hammer-dressed limestone with glazing bar the Pale and that it was used as the town gaol in the 18th holes and is chamfered. There is a plain slit at the east end century. Was there perhaps another ‘tholsel’ or market hall of the south wall which lit a garderobe in the south-east of greater size in Carlingford? corner, the remnants of which, with a rectangular chute, survive. Description The interior of the building was not accessible and the following description is based on that in the County Louth Archaeological Survey.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 58 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.11 The Tholsel

The west wall also has plain lintelled loops at first- and sec- Condition ond-floor level (the current upper gable wall), a cubby-hole Generally in good condition, with a sound roof. at first-floor level in the west corner, and a single splayed opening at first-floor level in the north wall. The building has Issues/vulnerability been much altered with early medieval dressed stone from • Currently not used. another building reused to repair this one. • Appeared in good condition with solid roof but containing a build-up of bird droppings in the upper floor and vegetation Status at the east end. Some woody species are possibly getting County Louth recorded monument No. LH005-04202- hold on the gable parapet. SMR 5:0205. (Buckley-County Louth Archaeological • Could possibly be open to public and upper chamber used Inventory No. 1171). Privately owned. Heritage plaque. for display, interpretation or other purpose. Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bradley). • In private ownership, the owners should be approached for discussions about the future use, display and upkeep of Significance the property Of considerable significance in itself as the only surviving • Currently has a heritage plaque with limited information, Town gate in Carlingford and one of only a small number in this could be expanded or augmented with interpretative Ireland and of significance as a part of the defensive circuit display panels. with a possible economic as well as defensive function.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 59 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.12 Line of South-East Wall

Summary The line of any wall between the Tholsel and the sea shore is uncertain, if it ever existed at all. Bradley proposes a short length of wall running east from the Tholsel to the sea shore but there is no physical evidence of a wall running directly east from the Tholsel. Archaeological evidence sug- gests that the medieval shore line was just east of Tholsel Street, opposite The Mint, and it seems possible that the sea also came up to the east side of the Tholsel and the defence line/shore line extended north-west directly from the Tholsel and there was no return of the wall to the east but this is by no means certain.

Historical Background There are no known specific historical references to this an unknown distance. Further north excavation has uncov- section of the defences. The drawing of Carlingford on the ered a possible medieval shoreline with a feature interpreted 1624 map implies the existence of a complete landward as a breakwater roughly in line with the wall extending north defensive circuit and also appears to show a defensive wall from the Tholsel, if this was the shoreline in the medieval on the shoreline with a tower at the south-east corner of the period then it is possible that the Tholsel itself was roughly defences. However this is a schematic sketch, the accuracy on the shore line and that there was no wall extending east of which is dubious, and is countered by Norden’s 1610 of the Tholsel but rather a wall and perhaps other forms of map, which shows no wall. sea defence structure running north-west from the Tholsel towards Taaffe’s Castle. Description This section is the putative short section of wall running NB The Louth survey mentions a second remnant of up- east from the Tholsel towards the shoreline as marked on standing wall with loops south-east of the Tholsel, but it is the map accompanying Bradley’s survey etc. This is marked unclear exactly where this is supposed to be located and it as running behind the properties south-east of the Tholsel was not identified during recent inspection. (and this area was not accessible when visited). There is a ruined stone building in this proximity but it was not ac- Status cessible for close examination. The east side of the Tholsel The wall attached to the Tholsel should have the same sta- itself is exposed and there are no present walls or evidence tus as the Tholsel itself: County Louth recorded monument of former walls running directly east from it. No. LH005-04202- SMR 5:0205 (Buckley -County Louth Archaeological Inventory No. 1171). There is a short section of wall running south from the Within the zone of archaeological potential (Bradley) south-east corner of the Tholsel which clearly abuts it and is later, and this is marked as modern on the plan in the Significance Louth survey. There is also a wall running north-west from Difficult to judge significance as full line of this wall is the north-east corner which in its lower levels, bonds to, unknown. The short piece of wall attached to the Tholsel and may be contemporary with the Tholsel, this wall has is probably of considerable significance if it was part of the the stairs to the Tholsel built against its western face, and a early defensive circuit. lean-to building against its eastern face. Condition The plan in the Louth survey shows a small extent of this The wall extending north from the Tholsel is in fair condition wall adjacent to the Tholsel as medieval and the rest as but somewhat damp & overgrown with moss & lichens etc. modern, the division between old and modern could not be confirmed by the present survey especially with the lean-to Issues/vulnerability building obscuring most of the east side of the wall. • Line of wall north of Tholsel uncertain. • The wall may or may not have returned east and the de- This would imply that the defensive wall or ran north-west fences may have taken a different form along the shoreline along the east side of Tholsel Street from the Tholsel for which was much further west than at present.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 60 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.13 Sea-Shore Defences

Summary There is no certainty that there were any formal seaward defences in Carlingford except those provided by individual buildings. A painting of c. 1800 and a 19th century drawing shows a seashore wall north and south of Taaffe’s Castle incorporating the east wall of the tower house itself and the gable ends of buildings south of it. At the north end this wall joins a smaller wall linking to Carlingford (King John’s) Castle. There is a surviving stub of the wall joining the south side of Taaffe’s Castle and there is a small section of wall bonded to the north side of the Tholsel which may have extended further north. Evidence of medieval shore gravels and a possible breakwater structure have been excavated 10m east of Tholsel Street.

Historical Background Norden’s map of the escheated counties of Ulster, c.1610 to be broken open and may be the remains of a former arch. (British Library Cotton Augustus I.ii.44) includes a sketch of North of this, the wall continues at the back of the beach Carlingford that shows the castle, with a wall running west with a couple of smaller openings in it until it joins a building from the castle to a corner tower then a west wall running that straddles the line of the wall. This structure is narrow south to a second tower from whence the wall returns east and tall with a pitched roof and small windows and may be or south-east towards the shore and then returns for a short a former corner tower, however the form is repeated in the distance north ending at a building that may represent the depiction of the buildings west of the wall within the town. Tholsel. Along the shoreline between this building and the A lower wall returns east at this point for a short distance Castle no defences are shown. This seems reasonably before returning north up the slope of the rock on which conclusive, at the hand of an able surveyor, but the 1624 stands Carlingford Castle and joins the south-east corner sketch map which, although only schematic, does show of the castle. a wall extending along the shoreline of the town with a rounded tower or bastion in the south-east corner and a tall A pencil drawing of Taaffe’s Castle from the north-east in square tower in the north-east corner where King John’s the collection of Ordnance Survey letters in the R.I.A., Dublin castle would be. Although the castle does not conform to (reproduced in CLAHJ Vol. XII.2 1950) clearly shows the this shape or proportion and the sketch must not be taken wall with arch at the south-east corner with a projecting as an accurate representation of the town, it does suggest machicolation over it, south of this is a further section of wall the possibility of the existence of a shoreline defence at with three openings and this abutts or adjoins the north- this date. east corner of two-storey gabled building. The drawing also shows a wall extending north from the north-east corner of The watercolour Carlingford Castle by Henry Brocas Senior Taaffe’s Castle with sections of two different heights both c.1800 (National Gallery of Ireland) shows a wall extending with a sloping ridge or coping course. south from the south-east corner of Taaffe’s Castle, how- The various sections of wall and east walls of buildings ever there is no arch in this wall adjacent to the tower in the combine to create a continuous seaward wall at the back painting although possible evidence of an arch is found in of the beach, with boats drawn up on the foreshore a short the surviving stub of this wall. The painting shows a small way off. cottage across the line of the wall with its end gable wall projecting east of the wall. Between the wall and the beach Description is a low bank and trackway. The main access into the town Very little of any former seashore defences remains. There is appears to be a wide opening in the wall immediately north a stub of the wall extending south from Taaffe’s castle with of Taaffe’s Castle. The north side of this opening appears the possible remnants of an arch, but no other definite

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 61 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council 2.13 Sea-Shore Defences

ancient wall fabric south of Taaffe’s Castle apart from the 10m east of Tholsel Street. This was interpreted as some wall extending north from the Tholsel. That wall, although form of ‘breakwater’ or sea defence to protect the Mint area containing much modern material, including the present from tidal erosion. There were shore gravel deposits both Tholsel steps does appear to bond to the Tholsel and is sides of the structure, those to the west covered by later possibly contemporary in origin. landfill those on the east (seaward)by an orange clay de- posit. The structure itself was composed of two outer lines The wall attached to Taaffe’s Castle is thought by many of large stones with a slaty gravel fill and was therefore not to have been the bawn wall of the Castle and therefore a substantial enough to have been a wall foundation. There discrete structure. However it is possible that this may have was a north terminus to this structure within the excavation formed part of the sea-shore wall and may have incorpo- trench, with an earlier cobbled surface to the north of it. rated or joined an earlier wall or have had later structures The structure was east of a line from the Tholsel to Taaffe’s built onto it. Brocas’s painting implies there were various Castle and if it there was a medieval sea defence in this phases to the limited amount of wall depicted south of location it does imply there may not have been a wall to Taaffe’s castle. the east at that time. However the excavations were limited and further investigation would be needed to establish the Some walls survive north of Taaffe’s Castle which are nature, and phasing of the seashore defences. slightly east of the line of the tower house and probably later than the extension and would therefore date to the Significance late 16th century or later. These therefore may represent Back walls of properties in this area are probably of moder- post-medieval property boundaries and defences against ate significance in possibly forming a late medieval/post- the sea rather than a systematic defence against attack or medieval defence of sorts. invasion. Condition There are no known remains of the town defences between The few surviving walls in this area are currently in reason- the Tholsel and Taaffe’s Castle walls and although the able condition. historic evidence suggests there may have been a later wall here there is archaeological evidence that may show the Issues/vulnerability beach nearly reached Tholsel Street with a breakwater but • Taaffe’s castle is being developed no sign of a wall west of it. • Walls north of Taaffe’s Castle have had garage entrances made in them and there are applications for more such The excavation (Gleeson and Moore 1992) behind build- interventions. ings on the east side of Tholsel Street, opposite the Mint, • The whole area is under threat from pressure of develop- uncovered a structure over 4m wide parallel to and about ment.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 62 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix A: Bibliography and Sources

Abbreviations BAR British Archaeological Reports CLAHJ Journal of the County Louth Archaeological (& Historical) Society IMC Irish Manuscripts Commission JRSAI Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland PRIA Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy

General Sources Gwynn and Hadcock (1970) Medieval Religious Houses Ireland (repr. 1988) Leask, H.G. Irish Castles (1941 and later edns) Leask, H.G. Irish Churches and Monastic Buildings III. Medieval Gothic, the last Phases (1960, repr. 1985) Lewis, S A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) Orpen, G.H. Ireland under the Normans (repr 2005) Ordnance Survey Map of Monastic Ireland (2nd edition, 1979) Sweetman, David Medieval Castles of Ireland. 2nd edition, The Boydell Press, Woodbridge. (2000)

Towns and Rural settlement Barry, T B (1987) Medieval Archaeology of Ireland Barry, T B (1993) ‘Late Medieval Ireland: The Debate on Social and Economic Transformation, 1350-1550’, in B J Graham & L J Proudfoot, An Historical Geography of Ireland, 99-122. Bradley, J (1985) ‘Planned Anglo-Norman Towns in Ireland’ in H B Clarke & A Simms (eds), The Comparative History of Urban Origins in Non-Roman Europe BAR International Series 255ii Bradley, J (1987) ‘Recent Archaeological research on the Irish Town’ in H Jäger (ed), Stadtkernforschung Bölau Verlag: Köln Butlin, R A (1977) ‘Urban and proto-urban settlements in Pre-Norman Ireland’, in R A Butlin (ed), The Development of the Irish Town, 28-60 Graham, B J (1977) ‘The Towns of Medieval Ireland’ in R A Butlin (ed), The Development of the Irish Town, 28-60 Graham, B (1979) ‘The Evolution of Urbanization in Medieval Ireland’ Journal of Historical Geography vol. 5, 2, 111-25 Graham, B J (1985) ‘Planned Anglo-Norman Towns in Ireland’ in H B Clarke & A Simms (eds), The Comparative History of Urban Origins in Non-Roman Europe BAR International Series 255ii Graham, B J (1988) ‘The Definition and Classification of Medieval Irish Towns’ Irish Geography vol XXI, 20-32 Graham, B J (2000) ‘Urbanisation in Ireland During the High Middle Ages, c.1100-c.1350’, in T Barry (ed), A History of Settlement in Ireland, 124-139 Hilton, R H (1992) English and French towns in feudal society Mac Niocaill, G (1964) Na Buirgeisi Mac Niocaill, G (1985) ‘The Colonial Town in Irish Documentation’ in H B Clarke & A Simms (eds), The Comparative History of Urban Origins in Non-Roman Europe BAR International Series 255ii Martin, G H (1981) ‘Plantation Boroughs in Medieval Ireland, with a Handlist of Boroughs to c.1500’, in D W Harkness & M O’Dowd, The Town in Ireland, 23-53 Potterton, M (2005) Medieval Trim. History and Archaeology Thomas, A (1992) The Walled Towns of Ireland

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 63 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix A: Bibliography and Sources

County Louth Buckley, Victor Sites and Monuments Record for County Louth, limited circulation publication, Office of Public Works, Dublin (1984). Buckley, Victor Archaeological Inventory of County Louth, The Stationery Office, Dublin (1986). Buckley, Victor and Sweetman, P. David 1991 Archaeological Survey of County Louth, The Stationery Office, Dublin. Jones Hughes, T. ‘Land Holding and Settlement in the Cooley Peninsula of Louth’, Irish Geography IV.3 (1961), 149-74. Otway-Ruthven, A.J. ‘The partition of the de Verdon Lands in Ireland in 1332’, PRIA 66 Sect. C (1968), 401-55, map. Smith, Brendan Colonisation and Conquest in Medieval Ireland. The English in Louth 1170-1330 (Oxford 1999)

Carlingford Anon. ‘The Ghan, Carlingford’ [note], CLAHJ vol. XII no. 1 (1949), 94-95. Abraham, A. S. K. ‘From monastic to secular. An anatomy of two early modern estates in south-east Ulster and north Louth: the Bagenals in Newry and the Carlingford region, and the Cromwells in Lecale’, Down Survey: Yearbook of Down County Museum (2000), 20-30. Bradley, John Urban Archaeology Survey Part I, County Louth: Carlingford (unpublished report) Curran, Arthur. ‘The Dominican order in Carlingford and Dundalk’. Journal of the County Louth Archaeological (& Historical) Society, 16:3 (1968), 143-160. Curran, Arthur. ‘Further notes on the Dominicans of Carlingford’, CLAHJ volume XVI number 4 (1968), 253. Gleeson, Carol. ‘Carlingford’. In Simms, Anngret; Andrews, John Harwood (ed.), More Irish country towns (Cork: Mercier Press in association with Radio Telefís Éireann, 1995), 32-43. Gleeson, Carol; Moore, Dermot G. ‘Excavation at Tholsel Street, Carlingford’. Journal of the County Louth Archaeological (& Historical) Society, 22 (1992), 417-426. Gosling, Paul. Carlingford town: an antiquarian’s guide. Carlingford, Co. Louth: Carlingford Lough Heritage Trust, 1992. xii, 68 p. Leask, H. G. ‘The mint, Carlingford’. Journal of the County Louth Archaeological (& Historical) Society, 11 (1946-8), 305-8. ISSN 00701327. Leask, H. G. King John’s castle, Carlingford, Co. Louth. Dublin: The Stationery Office, [1941]. 6 pp. Mac Iomhair, Diarmuid ‘Two Carlingford documents’ CLAHJ volume XVI number 3 (1967), 161-162. Marmion, W. F. K. ‘The Marmion family of Carlingford to 1660’. Journal of the County Louth Archaeological (& Historical) Society, 24 (1998), 249-60. Murray, L.P. ‘The ancient chantries of Co. Louth’, CLAHJ volume IX number 3, (1939), 181-208. Nyhan, P.F. ‘Kitchen midden at Carlingford’, CLAHJ vol. XI no. 4 (1948), 288-291. O’Sullivan, Harold. ‘A1575 rent roll, with contemporaneous maps of the Bagenal estate in the Carlingford Lough district’, CLAHJ, 21:1 (1987 for 1985), 31-47. Paterson, T.G.F. & Davies, O. ‘Carlingford Church tower’, CLAHJ vol. IX no. 3 (1939), 246-247. Power, Patrick F.; Swan, Allan B. ‘Tombstone inscriptions in Carlingford churchyard’, Journal of the County Louth Archaeological (& Historical) Society, 19 (1978), 149-165. Stubbs, F.W. (ed.) ‘A Carlingford election petition, 1705’, CLAHJ volume VI, number 2 (1926), 77-78. Tempest, H.G. (ed.) ‘The roll of the sovereigns and burgesses of Carlingford, 1706-1828’, CLAHJ volume III number 3 (1914), 273-283. Tempest, H. G. ‘Notes on Carlingford Corporation’, CLAHJ volume III number 3 (1914), 283-287.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 64 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix A: Bibliography and Sources

Record Sources Rec. Comm. Chartae, Privilegia et Immunitates (1829-30) Ballard A & Tait, J British Borough Charters 1216-1307 (1923) Bateson, M Borough Customs (Selden Society, 18, 1904) Connolly, P Medieval Record Sources (2002) Dryburgh, P & Smith, B. Handbook and Select Calendar of Sources for Medieval Ireland in the National Archives of the United Kingdom. (2005) Richardson H.G. Parliaments and Councils of Medieval Ireland (Irish Manuscripts & Sayles, G.O. Commission, Dublin (1947)

Weinbaum, M. British Borough Charters 1307-1660 (1943)

Record Collections National Library of Ireland – Ormond Deeds, Dowdall Deeds Public Record Office of Northern Ireland – Anglesey Papers (D/619)

Cartographic Sources Ordnance Survey - National Library of Ireland

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 65 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix B: Table of Archaeological Work in Carlingford

Introduction OA has been asked to provide a summary of archaeological activity in Carlingford. Since 1991 over forty licences have been issued for archaeological work within the Town and Liberties of Carlingford. The majority of these were either for pre-development test-trenching or monitoring of ground works for new dwellings or extensions to existing dwellings or businesses.

Most of the licensed works are summarised in the online Database of Irish Excavation Reports: http://www.excavations. ie/Pages/HomePage.php , having been published in the annual volumes, e.g. Isabel Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2003: Summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland (Wordwell Press, 2006). The references quoted are to the summaries therein followed by the excavation licence number where known. Isabel Bennett also kindly supplied sum- maries for 2004 and 2005 work in Carlingford that had not yet published on the database.

Some attempt has been made to locate original reports and illustrations, though this has proved a difficult task despite the ready cooperation of many archaeologists and the Department in Dublin (DEHLG). Eoghain Grant of the department kindly provided a table of licensed work in Carlingford on which the following table is based and which has been augmented with the information from the excavations database and from site reports where these were obtained from the department, with permission from the licensed archaeologist.

The results for forty sites in or adjacent to the historic walled town have been tabulated and mapped (see overleaf) those in the newer developments on the east side of Carlingford and further afield within the Liberties have been excluded. There remain eight sites whose location has yet to be clarified.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 66 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix B: Chronological Table of Licensed Archaeological Work undertaken in or near Carlingford Historic Walled Town.

OA Event No. 1 Licence No: 91E0056 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1991:093 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Liberties of Carlingford (Site in field north of priory church) Excavator and Organisation: Cassidy Beth. Archaeological Development Services, Dublin. Site Type: Medieval Priory Precinct Archaeological works: Trial trenching in advance of development Development type: Description/Results: Testing in field north of priory church, no archaeology.

OA Event No. 2 Licence No: 92E0036 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1992:134 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Tholsel Street Excavator and Organisation: Gleeson Carol for Carlingford Lough Heritage Trust Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Pre-development testing. March1992 Development type: Mixed commercial and residential development Description/Results: On the east side of the town work revealed shore gravels and beach deposits at a relatively shallow depth below the present town. Ten metres east of Tholsel Street opposite the Mint a 4m wide structure possibly a medieval breakwater was excavated. The structure had a north terminus with an earlier cobbled surface adjacent to it and a small square stone structure to the west which may have been a holding tank for fish.(published in CLAHJ 1992)

OA Event No. 3 Licence No: 92E0037 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1992:133 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Holy Trinity Church Excavator and Organisation: Gleeson Carol. for Carlingford Lough Heritage Trust Site Type: Medieval Church Site Archaeological works: Excavation of service cable trenches. March-April; 1992 Development type: Service cable trenches. Description/Results: Cable ducts along internal north and south walls revealed 20 late medieval/post-medieval inhumations within the church build- ing but no earlier archaeology was exposed beneath the burial deposits. C14 date ranges of 1517-1666 & 1442-1650.

OA Event No. 4 Licence No: 93E0064 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1993:154 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Dominican Priroy Excavator and Organisation: Channing John. Dublin Site Type: Medieval Dominican Priory Archaeological works: Excavations in and around the Priory church in advance of conservation. April -May 1993. Funded by OPW Development type: Conservation work Description/Results: Excavations connected to the conservation of the priory. Post-med burials. Tower appears to be later addition, south wall of which partly sits over a foundation plinth which may be related to an earlier structure.

OA Event No. 5 Licence No: 93E0189 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1994:165 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Ghan House Excavator and Organisation: Gibbons Erin. Dublin Site Type: Post Medieval Culvert Archaeological works: Rescue excavation of recently exposed underground passage. Dec 1993 Development type: Excavation of front lawn to create ornamental pond. Description/Results: Work during construction of ornamental pond at Ghan House revealed 18th century midden and c17th century stone lined and covered watercourse and reservoir.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 67 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix B: Chronological Table of Licensed Archaeological Work undertaken in or near Carlingford Historic Walled Town.

OA Event No. 6 Licence No: 94E0063 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1994:167 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Tholsel Street. Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Donald. Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Pre-development testing. May 1994. Monitoring of foundation trenches. October 1994 Development type: Proposed residential development. Description/Results: Site next to the Tholsel revealed a wall adjoining Tholsel on south which rested on Tholsel foundations and another building further west (see 1835 map) prob both late med or post med date.

OA Event No. 7 Licence No: 94E0187 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1994:166 & 1995:190 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Newry Street. Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Donald, Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda. Site Type: MUrban Medieval (Near Castle) Archaeological works: Trial trenching Dec 94 & Excavation of 7m x 6m trench, Jan 95. Development type: Proposed residential development Description/Results: Work in 1994 in this area on a site on the west side of Newry Street just inside the then supposed line of the north wall revealed potential medieval deposits with survival of organic material. Up to 1m depth of post-medieval material had overlain parts of the site and in one corner below this was a 15th-17th century layer which in turn overlay 0.5m of late medieval or early post-medieval garden soil. Below the garden soil was a peaty layer 0.3m thick which sat upon the natural gravels. This layer contained branches and possible wattles and may represent medieval occupation with evidence of structures that stood along Newry Street. The further excavation revealed a steep slope 4m from east edge of site this may have been part of a ditch aligned SE/NW at least 2m deep and poss up to 8m wide of which the peaty layer may be primary fill this had one sherd of 13th/14th pottery.

OA Event No. 8 Licence No: 95E0069 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1995:189 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Dundalk Street Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Donald, Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Trial -trenching, March 95 Development type: Proposed new dwelling Description/Results: No archaeology, any stratigraphy presumably destroyed by construction of earlier now demolished building. Natural gravel exposed over entire site.

OA Event No. 9 Licence No: 95E0122 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1995:191 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Taaf’es Castle Excavator and Organisation: Moore Dermot. For ADS Ltd Site Type: Late Medieval Towerhouse Archaeological works: Pre-development trial-trenching, 7 trenches, June-July 1995 Development type: Restoration project Description/Results: Seven Trenches within and around Taaffe’s castle revealed much about the construction of the building itself and nature and extent of archaeological deposits.

OA Event No. 10 Licence No: 95E0234 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1995:188 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Liberties of Carlingford Excavator and Organisation: Campbell Kieran Site Type: Castle Environs (80m NW Of Castle) Archaeological works: Trial -trenching Development type: New dwelling Description/Results: No archaeology revealed, natural not reached, site had been built up with modern deposits.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 68 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix B: Chronological Table of Licensed Archaeological Work undertaken in or near Carlingford Historic Walled Town.

OA Event No. 11 Licence No: 96E0260 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1996:262 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Dundalk Street Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Deirdre Site Type: Urban Archaeological works: Trial -trenching. 2 trenches. September 1996. Development type: Proposed Development Description/Results: Work in the centre of Carlingford at the market square has shown up to 1m of deposits above natural gravels but these consisted of post-medieval demolition deposits. Another site in this locale did not reach natural at 0.7m and at the depth the deposits were of post-medieval date.

OA Event No. 12 Licence No: 96E0305 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1996:261 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: West of Dundalk Street Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Donald, Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Urban Archaeological works: Trial -trenching. 6 trenches. October 1996 Development type: Proposed housing development Description/Results: Trenching west of Dundalk Street , east of the probable wall line , showed substantial made-up ground but revealed no significant archaeological deposits or finds.

OA Event No. 13 Licence No: 96E0315 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1996:264 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Station Road Excavator and Organisation: Campbell Kieran. Drogheda Site Type: Urban Archaeological works: Three test pits Development type: Proposed development of three townhouses Description/Results: Rubble deposits prob connected with construction of railway, and possibly old metalled quay surface.

OA Event No. 14 Licence No: 96E0322 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1996:263 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Carlingford Arms, Newry Street/corner of Market square. Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Deirdre, Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Urban Archaeological works: Trial -trenching. 2 trenches. November 1996 Development type: Proposed extension of Carlingford Arms PH Description/Results: Two trenches did not reach natural at 0.7m and at this depth the deposits were of post-medieval date.

OA Event No. 15 Licence No: 97E0018 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1997:369 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: River Street. Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Donald, Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Trial -trenching. 7 trenches. January 1997 Development type: Proposed housing development Description/Results: Trenching in 1997 immediately outside the medieval town, west of the town wall and south of River Street in an area now being highly developed has also shown that the natural gravels lie close to the surface here and no archaeological deposits were found.

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 69 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix B: Chronological Table of Licensed Archaeological Work undertaken in or near Carlingford Historic Walled Town.

OA Event No. 16 Licence No: 97E0064 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1997:368 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Back Lane Excavator and Organisation: MMurphy Deirdre Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Trial -trenching. 4 trenches. March 1997 Development type: Proposed new dwellings Description/Results: No archaeological stratigraphy, the site had been previously ploughed. Natural boulder clay was exposed close to the surface with no surviving archaeological deposits.

OA Event No. 17 Licence No: 97E0141 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1998:Ad6 Planning Reference (if known): 96/735 Site Name /Location: Tholsel Street Excavator and Organisation: Campbell Kieran Site Type: Medieval/P-M Urban Archaeological works: Pre-development testing. January 1998 Development type: Demolition of existing building and construction of three shops with apartments Description/Results: On the west side of Tholsel Street test trenching on a site between the Tholsel and the Mint revealed that properties here are cut into a natural gravel ridge to the west and no archaeological deposits were found on that side of the site; the gravel being exposed at ground level.

OA Event No. 18 Licence No: 98E0161 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1998:419 &1999:549 & 1999:553 Planning Reference (if known): Not Known Site Name /Location: Carlingford Drainage & Sewerage Scheme Excavator and Organisation: Moore Dermot G. Archaeological Development Services, Dublin. For Louth County Council Site Type: Medieval Town Archaeological works: Monitoring, Test-trenching and Rescue Excavation. Development type: Main Drainage & Sewerage Scheme Description/Results: Phase 1 was 11 trenches in centre of town and revealed old stream culvert and a few walls. Phase 2 was 35 trenches through the town and east of town round shore road, most trenches had no archaeology with the important exceptions of Nos 4 and 5 with the town wall and gate etc., and Nos 18-19 at Taaffe’s and a few others. The testing for the main drainage works revealed a substantial ditch and a later wall with gateway and cobbled road at the north end of Newry Street. These features were dated to the 13th/14th centuries by build-up deposits against the wall and probably represented the east end of the north circuit of the defences and a north gate into the medieval town. The wall survived to a height of over 2m below the ground with associated medieval deposits. Rescue excavations at Taaffe’s castle (trenches 18-19) uncovered two north-south walls south of the building. Both walls showed tight jointing and appeared to show exposure to the sea on their eastern faces. It was suggested that the western one was earlier and the eastern one was contemporary with the castle and both had served the dual function of sea wall and bawn wall. Beach gravels were also seen relatively close to the surface outside the east gate of Holy Trinity Church four young male adult human skeletons all with sword cuts on their skulls were found in two shallow graves cut into the gravel. These are thought to have been late medieval or early post-medieval infantrymen struck from horseback.

OA Event No. 19 Licence No: 99E0066 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: Planning Reference (if known): 96/430 Site Name /Location: Dundalk Street (west side). Excavator and Organisation: Ó Drisceoil Cóilín Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Extension to retail unit Description/Results: No details available

Carlingford Historic Town Walls - Conservation & Management Pl an 70 Oxford Archaeology Louth County Council Appendix B: Chronological Table of Licensed Archaeological Work undertaken in or near Carlingford Historic Walled Town.

OA Event No. 20 Licence No: 99E0234 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1999:550 Planning Reference (if known): 97/883 Site Name /Location: Castle Hill Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Donald, Archaeological Development Services, Dublin Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Pre-development testing. 2 Trenches Development type: Proposed construction of a terraced and a mews house Description/Results: We have report but no location plan. Two trenches no dated finds, old garden soils not dated.

OA Event No. 21 Licence No: 99E0299 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1999:551 Planning Reference (if known): Site Name /Location: Castle Hill Excavator and Organisation: Meenan Rosanne. Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Pre-planning Test-trenching. 3 Trenches Development type: Proposed new dwelling Description/Results: We do not have report or location plan. No archaeology

OA Event No. 22 Licence No: 99E0421 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1999:552 Planning Reference (if known): 99/422 Site Name /Location: Castle Hill Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Deirdre, Archaeological Development Services, Dublin Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Pre-development testing. 3 Trenches. August 1999 Development type: Proposed residential development Description/Results: We have report but not location plan. No archaeology, modern garden soil.

OA Event No. 23 Licence No: 99E0686 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 1999:554 Planning Reference (if known): 99/496 Site Name /Location: Holy Trinity Heritage Centre (former Church of the Holy Trinity) Excavator and Organisation: Bermingham Nora, Archaeological Development Services, Dublin Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Monitoring of Groundworks Development type: Kitchen extension Description/Results: We do not have report or location plan. Holy trinity kitchen extension, late or post-med burials

OA Event No. 24 Licence No: 00E0706 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2000:647 Planning Reference (if known): 95/602 Site Name /Location: Castle Hill. Excavator and Organisation: Murphy Deirdre, Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Medieval Urban Archaeological works: Monitoring of Development Works Development type: Proposed new house Description/Results: We have report but no location plan. 17th-18th century clay layer overlay natural, no archaeological features.

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OA Event No. 25 Licence No: 00E0743 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2000:645 Planning Reference (if known): 95/602 Site Name /Location: Back Lane Excavator and Organisation: Halpin, Eoin, Archaeological Development Services, Belfast Site Type: Urban Archaeological works: Monitoring of topsoil removal Development type: Proposed development Description/Results: We do not have report or location plan. Topsoil over subsoil on steep slope. No archaeology

OA Event No. 26 Licence No: 01E0281 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2001:837 & 2002:1296 Planning Reference (if known): 99/1499 Site Name /Location: Newry Street/Back Lane Excavator and Organisation: Clarke Linda. Murphy Donald, Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Urban Medieval Archaeological works: Test-trenching, April 2001 (3 trenches) followed by further trenching (5) April 2002 Development type: Proposed development of nine town houses Description/Results: We Have a copy of this report and location plan. Site known as the herb garden, adjacent to the ruined med house with sculpted head, 8 trenches. Post-med garden soils, ?residual med pottery. Recording of walls. [Same site as No. 40]

OA Event No. 27 Licence No: 01E0488 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2001:838 Planning Reference (if known): 00/623 Site Name /Location: Dundalk Street (West side of). Excavator and Organisation: Conway Malachy Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Site Type: Within ZAP Archaeological works: Test-trenching. 1 trench. Development type: Extension and conversion of existing terrace Description/Results: No significant archaeology revealed, trench to depth of old yard surface at 0.7m.

OA Event No. 28 Licence No: 02E0240 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2002:2090 Planning Reference (if known): 01/1075 Site Name /Location: Market Square Excavator and Organisation: Shanahan Brian Site Type: Within ZAP (Lh005:042) Archaeological works: Monitoring of Groundworks Development type: Extensions and alterations to existing Retail Unit (pharmacy). Description/Results: Report and summary not available, registered too late to be included in 2002 database.

OA Event No. 29 Licence No: 02E1795 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2002:1297 Planning Reference (if known): 00/962 Site Name /Location: River Street Excavator and Organisation: Corcoran Eoin Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Urban Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Proposed development of 17 dwellings Description/Results: Report and summary not available. Following information from National Monuments section; Site of proposed dev of 17 houses near town wall. Four trenches no archaeology.

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OA Event No. 30 Licence No: 02E1797 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2003:1228 Planning Reference (if known): Site Name /Location: Back Lane Excavator and Organisation: Corcoran Eoin, Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Urban Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Holiday unit & parking Description/Results: Nothing of archaeological significance noted during testing.

OA Event No. 31 Licence No: 03E0108 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2003:1229 Planning Reference (if known): 02/1361 Site Name /Location: P.J. O’Hares Bar Tholsel Street . Excavator and Organisation: Linnane Stephen Site Type: Urban Medieval Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Proposed new extension to public house & demolition of kitchen etc. Description/Results: Findings show land once sloped steeply from the Mint area to this area on east of Tholsel street and that the medieval waterfront may have been located here.

OA Event No. 32 Licence No: 03E0812 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2003:1227 Planning Reference (if known): Site Name /Location: Dundalk Street Excavator and Organisation: O’Carroll Ellen Site Type: Urban Medieval Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Pre-planning Description/Results: Report and summary not available. Following information from National Monuments section; Nothing of archaeological signifi- cance noted.

OA Event No. 33 Licence No: 04E0210 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: Planning Reference (if known): 03/174 Site Name /Location: Carlingford, Louth Excavator and Organisation: Campbell Kieran Site Type: Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Proposed development of 14 houses in terraced blocks and demolition of derilict house etc. Description/Results: The same site was the subject of licences 97E0018 and 02E1795 this seems to have been a further programme of test trenching but the results are not known.

OA Event No. 34 Licence No: 04E1323 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2004:1074 Planning Reference (if known): Site Name /Location: Dundalk Street/Dublin Street Excavator and Organisation: Sweetman P. David, Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath. Site Type: Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Description/Results: Report and location plan not available. Site just inside the line of the town walls at the west side of the town. The area was intensively cultivated by private gardens and heavily covered in trees and scrub. Nothing of archaeological significance was found.

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OA Event No. 35 Licence No: 04E1710 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: Planning Reference (if known): Site Name /Location: Tholsel St. Excavator and Organisation: Campbell Kieran Site Type: Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Description/Results: Report and summary not available.

OA Event No. 36 Licence No: 05E0237 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: Planning Reference (if known): 00/701 Site Name /Location: Dundalk St. (east side near Friary) Excavator and Organisation: Elder Stuart Site Type: Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Proposed development of four dwelling houses. Description/Results: Following information from National Monuments section; Medieval wall found, probably boundary of priory. No further work necessary bar monitoring of placement of teram and foam over wall and building up over this. There should be no impact to the archaeology.

OA Event No. 37 Licence No: 05E0407 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2005:1025 Planning Reference (if known): 04/1674 Site Name /Location: Tholsel/Dundalk St. Excavator and Organisation: Sweetman P. David, Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath Site Type: Archaeological works: Pre-development testing Development type: Demolition of existing activity hall, etc. and the construction of 2 apartments & retail units etc. Description/Results: Test trenching on a site south-west of The Mint with access from Dundalk Street produced nothing of archaeological interest. The area appears to have been artificially built-up in the 2nd half of the 18th century.

OA Event No. 38 Licence No: 05E0483 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2005:1022 Planning Reference (if known): 04/1374 Site Name /Location: Back Lane. Excavator and Organisation: Elliott Ruth, On behalf of Archaeological Consutancy Sercvices, Drogheda Site Type: Archaeological works: Pre-development test-trenching. 2 trenches May 2005 Development type: Proposed housing development of 2 semi detached three storey dwellings. Description/Results: Test trenching found two layers of garden soil overlying the former plough-zone soil above natural. A large modern rubbish pit along the southern side of the site. No archaeological finds or features were uncovered. Survey of late medieval house, which adjoins the site to the north, was carried out by John Stirland. The house was at least two storeys high and lay within its own burgage plot. A high-pitched south gable wall survives with a carved human head in late medieval style. The proposed development will have limited visual and no physical impact on the gable of the late medieval house.

OA Event No. 39 Licence No: 05E0536 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2005:1024 Planning Reference (if known): 04/1515 Site Name /Location: Castle Hill Excavator and Organisation: Walsh Fintan, Dave Bayley, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, Dun Laoghaire. Site Type: Archaeological works: Monitoring and test trenching. 5 trenches August 2005 Development type: Proposed development of three houses Description/Results: Five test trenches were excavated within the area of proposed development on 17 August 2005. Monitoring of the demolition of an existing structure in the south-west corner of the site, adjacent to the suggested line of the medieval town wall, was also undertaken. Nothing of archaeological significance was revealed.

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OA Event No. 40 Licence No: 05E1371 Database of Irish Excavs Ref. No: 2005:1023 Planning Reference (if known): 03/473 Site Name /Location: Back Lane/Newry St. Excavator and Organisation: Russell Ian (Ian R. Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services, Drogheda, Site Type: Archaeological works: Monitoring of topsoil stripping and excavation of foundation trenches Development type: Proposed residential development 6no. 2 storey town houses & 2no. 3 storey town houses Description/Results: Monitoring was conducted on the site of a proposed residential development at Back Lane/Newry Street, Carlingford. Two assessments previously carried out within the site had identified a number of post-medieval stone walls. Coarse black garden soil measured a maximum of 0.35m in thickness and lay directly above the natural orange gravelly and stony clay. No archaeological features or deposits were exposed and no finds were recovered. [Same site as No. 26]

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